The Complications of Life
by NightElfCrawler
Summary: 2007 Movieverse retelling. What if.... what if things had been different? What if not everyone was on the side they should be on? And what if that perfect partner was already out of reach? Sucks don't it?
1. Chapter 1

**The Complications of Life **

**Chapter One  
**

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: All right, I've given in. I've finally delved into mech/mech pairings, thanks to a certain reader (yes, you know who you are! ^_~) Nonetheless, I plan to stay strictly tasteful. This story does have a slash background between two characters, however nothing detailed shall happen in this story. That will be reserved for a side-story tied to this one, so feel free to read without fear if you don't care for slash pairings. For those that do, enjoy as well. And yes, I know I should be working on How it Will Be. I HAVE started it. I just keep getting distracted!_

_This is a re-telling of the movie-verse, given that do not assume any of it happened the same way. I'm writing from scratch with all new secrets. And while certain characters have been included, assumptions cannot be made as to their involvement, 'tis all I will say._

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

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It had started out as such a normal day.

She had rolled over the moment her alarm went off, irritably slamming her fist over it. Somehow she didn't manage to shut it off, and it took some squinting to realize that it wasn't her alarm that was going off, but the cell phone to the side of it. The alarm blinked innocently reading 2:14 am, the phone buzzed insistently, vibrating on the table as it jangled it's far too cheerful tune. Grunting, she grabbed it, fumbling for the buttons. "Parks." She mumbled, reaching for her light to flip the switch.

"Parks, we need you. ASAP. How soon can you get here?"

"Uh… fifteen. What's the situation?"

"Just get here."

She stared at the phone in a semi-stupor, then sighed, flopping back into her bed, staring at the dimly lit ceiling. "Just another day on the job, eh?" She asked, tilting her head to regard her cat who looked just about as irritated as she did to have been woken at this hour. "Don't wait up for me Griff. This'll be a late one I think." The cat blinked his lazy green eyes before shutting them, tucking his head under his paw and ignoring her. "Course." She muttered, rolling out of bed.

It was actually about twenty-five minutes later that she finally rolled up to the plain glass and concrete building, nodding to the guard as he let her through the security gate and into the complex beyond. The moment she was inside the perimeter, she realized that something big was going down. She quickly parked her SUV, tugging one arm into her jacket as she approached a mustached man directing people by the building's entrance. "Banachek, what's the emergency?"

Tom Banachek, a man who she greatly respected, turned to regard her with a solemn expression, typical 'cop-face'. "We've got something in the desert. Crashed there about an hour ago, took us a while to send anyone out there to take a look. Radar and images come back…" he hesitated. "Well… it's nothing we've seen before, lets leave it at that."

A surge of adrenaline flooded her in a rush of excitement. "Is this for real sir, or just another meteor?"

Banachek fixed her with a stare and lightly took her shoulder, turning her aside as he led her away from the mobilizing troops. "Listen, Alexis." He said in a lowered voice. "We want to keep our heads about this." He glanced back where a black-clad SWAT team was piling into several large armored trucks. "But… this thing appeared out of nowhere. It wasn't on any of our satellites, not even long-range. It just appeared, made entry, and crashed here before we had any chance to ID it. Now, from what I've seen of the images, it's got a distinct shape to it, and it's not round. This could be genuine, but let's not get our hopes up. It could just be a disabled satellite."

Her heart pounding in her chest, she nodded as she headed towards the nearest armored car, piling in with the men there, and beginning to suit up with her standard gear. A genuine encounter… they had been trained for this, and knew the protocol. Still, this was why she had joined up with Sector 7, the quietest of the top-secret Government agencies, specifically formed to respond to top-secret calls. As of yet, they had only been handling international fugitives, terrorist groups, and far-fetched people who swore that ET had landed already and were harboring conspiracy theories. They were trained to do it all, but this was their ultimate purpose. Anything weird happened, they were there. That included any possibility of genuine alien encounters.

Most of America thought that the government hid things anyway, but the idea that they had been hiding aliens and their relationship with them from the general public was ridiculous. Up to now, nothing had landed on Earth that wasn't earth made or just some space junk. Roswell was just a funky shaped piece of debris, nothing alive, nothing technologically advanced. There were no UFO's, there were no aliens that had found their way here…

Until now.

The entire way out to the desert was tense for everyone, and when finally they arrived, Alexis piled out with everyone else, eager to get her first glimpse of what had crashed out here.

She wasn't disappointed.

To say that it was enormous was an understatement. There was absolutely no problem being able to get a good look at what had landed here. Everyone stared upwards at the smoking heap of dark twisted metal, completely mesmerized by what they were seeing. It was easily four of five stories tall, triple that length. The entire front end of the object looked as if it were smashed in, wires and cables exposed, smoking and sparking. Half of it was buried in dirt and sand, but the part that was exposed was very clearly and very obviously hand-built, not natural.

This was no meteor. It was a ship.

"All right, stop gawking." Came a snappish order, causing Alexis to turn around and regard a thin faced man walking towards them with purpose. She cringed. She hated this guy. "This is it, gentlemen!" He glanced once her way, then ignored her. No matter how much she proved her skills were equal to, and in some cases superior to his, Reginald Simmons was a pain in her ass. "It's an alien craft! Initial scans show no life signs. Door's been blasted wide open by the crash, no apparent contaminants. Your job is to go in there, scan it head to foot, tell us what we need to know: what it is, where it came from, and what we're dealing with. Do NOT touch anything without permission, do NOT engage any life-forms you may find without first reporting in, and DO gather as much intel as you can. Any questions, radio in. Now get to it!"

Alexis grabbed the flashlight strapped to her hip as the men around her began to stomp into the exposed gaping maw of the ship's damaged exterior. Before she could escape his notice however, Simmons stopped her. "What are you doing here, missy?"

She shot him a dry glare. "I'm here with the other kiddies, Reggie. Let go of me."

He regarded her with a cool expression. "Didn't bring your science kit with you this time?"

"Left it back at the lair. You want me to do my job or what?"

He scowled. "This is a military operation, not a science fair."

"I'm here to make sure your men don't start vomiting out of their ears with some alien virus. You'll want me in there, trust me." Simmons made a disgusted face at her, and simply waved her through, turning to go do whatever pesky things he planned to do. Alexis shook her head. "Moron." She muttered under her breath, pulling her breath mask up over her chin, securing it before she entered the ship.

Sizzling showers of sparks rained down over her as she ducked under the thick mess of cables and broken pipes, staring into the interior with fascination. The first thing she noticed was that the ship was as large on the inside as it was on the outside. The hallway towered over her, at least thirty feet tall. This ship only appeared to have a few rooms, if all of them were this vacant in space. Which left her to wonder, who needed this much room? It didn't appear to be a hangar bay of any sort, there was no apparent door, and there were wires and pipes woven everywhere, making it impossible to discern any normal place for an opening. The small gash had apparently been the only entry into this portion of the ship. The men had already begun their scanning rounds, walking around the room and examining everything possible. She pulled out her hand-held atmospheric monitor and scanned the room. It appeared clean of any bio contaminants, only a slight spray of fumes that smelled slightly like oil or motor fluids through the breath mask. Judging from the liquid pooling under broken pipes, that's where it came from. She ran a quick scan on the contents, and found it to be non-toxic, but a very unique blend of elements that she'd never seen before. It had properties somewhat between oil and gasoline, and smelled just as foul. She stood and slowly made her way down the enormous hallway, leaving the rest of the scanning crew behind. Supposedly the advanced team had already come in and cleared the area, made certain there were no little green men hiding in the inner workings, but she still kept one hand on her gun just in case. One of the perks for being a field analyst was she got to carry firepower. It wasn't much, but it was enough for her to feel safer keeping it close.

The hallway didn't go very far. A good dozen feet past the entry point, it made a turn and opened up into smaller rooms filled with half-collapsed walls, sparking wires and pooling fluids. There were several main supports that appeared to have buckled, the floor was uneven and bent in places, and she had to make her way carefully through the mess to proceed further. Her scans showed still nothing dangerous, though she kept her breath mask on just to be safe. Each room appeared to be so severely damaged filled with debris in multiple states of ruin that she couldn't see much of what the room was supposed to contain. But her thought was that these were either storage rooms, or some other kind of transport rooms, due to their size, and the massive length of shelving on one wall. They were narrower than the main corridor, but still large enough to be very spacious, towering the full thirty foot height over her. Three of them were filled with damaged bent twisted metal and impassible. One was collapsed, and two others were empty, but showed nothing of what they might hold. She moved on slowly, until she finally reached the end of the hallway.

Here, was the interesting part, she realized. The scanner teams hadn't gotten this far yet, so she was excited to be the first one to step inside the next room to study it. It was larger than the corridor, and seemed to stretch the entire length of what was left of this part of the ship. It expanded upwards a good forty or fifty feet, it's shape was circular, and there was a LOT of technology in here. Immediately she could identify view screens on one of the walls, large panels with shattered faces, buttoned consoles, and even a twisted metal chair that looked about as large as a small house. Debris was scattered everywhere around here, littering the floor with cables and wires spilling from broken buckled vents in the ceiling, sparking everywhere. This clearly was the control room, she realized. The engines must have been in the buckled section where the scan team was busy, perhaps cut off for good the way this ship looked. It had obviously had a very rough ride down. She couldn't imagine that a ship this technologically advanced could have just succored to the atmosphere, but then they knew so little about what had happened here, that it was impossible to make guesses. The ship was badly damaged, and something had just about shredded it on the outside. She could only hazard to guess what it might be.

Cautiously she stepped over a pile of debris, treading on a flat panel that appeared to have detached from somewhere, making her way closer to the uprooted chair. There were several keypads on it's arm, if she could just get a closer look, she might be able to at least see if there was any data she could download.

A small noise made her freeze in place.

The room was silent, save for the hissing of sparks, and the occasional creak of something shifting and cooling in the bulkhead. But for a moment there… she swore that she'd heard something else, something closer…

A waft of warm air flooded her face.

Alexis immediately turned her attention in that direction, and quickly identified the source. There was a vent several feet to her left, a vent that she thought had fallen free of it's normal place as it seemed to be propped up with more debris against the side of the room. However, as she drew closer, the warm air wafted out, growing hotter the closer she got. The odd thing was, it wasn't a steady stream, but a puff and pause, another… and another… almost like….

She sucked in her breath, and quickly looked closer at the debris she was just about standing on. It was mangled, twisted and broken, just like the rest of the ship, but oddly enough the debris here was more localized, intricately carved. This was a single piece of machinery, not merely a pile of broken panels. The closer she looked, the more she saw how things fitted together, linked up and ran all the way from the cylindrical pile she stood near, all the way to where it was attached to a larger section. Slowly she walked forward, running her fingers lightly along the exterior hull of the machine, trying to figure out what it was. It was almost like it was lying loose, as there was no space this large for something like this to have detached. She stepped on the panel, watching as the machine seemed to grow more complex, and froze. There was a low sound, mingling with the background noise, but more localized. It had come from directly in front of her, and sounded digital in nature, almost like a computer pulse. She carefully studied the mess of metal in front of her, walking slowly over the panel. The sound repeated, louder this time, and she was able to pinpoint it coming from somewhere near where a bright red light was glowing steadily in front of her. Perhaps it was a computer of some sorts, sending out a distress panel… that red light didn't make her feel very comfortable, for all she knew it might be a self-destruct counting down, so she had to determine it's source quickly.

The light flickered. Curious, she leaned forward, staring into the flat glass panel where the light emanated from. It had a large crack down it's face, and it appeared that the glass itself was red, not the light behind it. There was an intricate spiral of gears and rotors within, small enough that a watchmaker could have tinkered easily with it. But as she gazed into the light, trying to determine it's function, something within the glass enclosure shifted. She pulled back a little, then leaned forward closer, watching in fascination as gears and rotors shifted inside, making the glowing light's aperture smaller almost like….

Her blood froze. The moment the thought hit her mind, the light flickered again, and this time she was able to see why. There was a metal aperture on the exterior that slid smoothly beneath her hand as she pulled it back, covering the glass, coiling up swiftly and then uncoiling just as swift, leaving a slight moist sheen on the glass, clearing it of her handprint.

Just like an eye blinking.

Her heart pounded a cadence in her chest as she swiftly backpedaled, surprise and shock flooding through her like a wash of cold air as she suddenly connected all the dots. The immense volume of the ship, the large hallways, the giant chair…

"Holy…" she started to say, eyes wide as she stared directly at the unblinking glowing red light directly in front of her. Unfortunately her words were abruptly cut off, when something to the right of her shifted. She only just had time to turn her head and see a mass of metal headed her way before a sharp pain slammed into the back of her head. Pain immediately overwhelmed her systems as if fire was being pumped directly into her veins, before blissfully her mind gave up and put her out of her misery.

Her eyes caught sight of the glowing red light gleaming directly at her, before blackness completely engulfed her.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Complications of Life **

**Chapter Two  
**

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: This is a re-telling of the movie-verse, given that do not assume any of it happened the same way. I'm writing from scratch with all new secrets. And while certain characters have been included, do not assume end results._

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

_**

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She was awoken to the feeling of white-hot pain slamming into the base of her skull. Before she could stop herself, a groan escaped her throat. Almost immediately, a flurry of noise slammed into her head from all around her, before a gentle hand was pushing on her shoulder, forcing her back down onto the table. She hadn't even realized she'd tried to sit up, but as the world righted itself, her head cleared a little bit to make out the words being spoken. "Easy there, Agent Parks. Don't try to get up."

Deciding that was a good idea, she didn't protest as she was gently pushed back down. Groaning again, she managed to squeeze an eye open, feeling as if she was fighting through a thick layer of sleep to do so. "What…the hell…"

The medic hovering over her was a middle-aged man wearing army fatigues, who appeared stressed over the current situation judging from the bags underneath his eyes. "You've had a shock to your system, just lay still." He leaned closer, examining her as he peered into her eyes, checking for reflexes. The pin-light he was using was far too bright for her taste, and she quickly shut her eyes, only to have the lid pried open as he peered into them again. "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone's drilling a hole in my brain." She grimaced, grateful once he finally dropped her lid, allowing her to shut her eyes once more. "What the hell happened?"

"We're not entirely sure." The medic's words were carefully guarded, and she immediately knew that was a lie. They knew more than they wanted to tell her, never a good sign. "What do you last remember?"

She fought to think on it. Her brain felt sluggish, slow, as if she was coming down or just getting over the flu. She came back with flashes of memories, images of a red light and sparking panels, but the rest felt hazy. "I was… investigating a…" She hesitated, squinting up at him warily.

"I have the required clearance, Agent Parks." The medic assured her, giving a tired smile. "And believe me, if you had been awake for the last 48 hours, you wouldn't hesitate in telling me everything."

Alexis blinked. "I've been out that long?"

"A little longer, actually. They had to bring you back here before anyone could figure out what was wrong with you."

"And…?" She said slowly, pushing past the fog in her head to try and remember why she was here in the first place.

"And…" the medic said slowly, hooking something up to an IV next to her. "…Let's just say E.T. ain't that friendly."

Alexis felt as if electricity were suddenly flooding her veins. Immediately everything came back to her in one flash of memory. The red light, the eye, the pain… "Holy…" She muttered, lifting a hand to clutch her suddenly pounding head. No wonder she felt like crap, that alien… if that's what it was, had hit her with something. "What happened?"

"We're not completely sure." The medic said, this time sounding more convincing. "We found you collapsed on the floor of what they think is probably a control room… and they found something else there too."

She felt a strange feeling of anxiety, as the red glowing eye flashed before her inner eye again. She suppressed a shudder, and instead elected to push herself onto one elbow, squinting around. She was in a small room with just her bed, but she could see out the door to a busy hallway beyond. "I'm back at HQ?"

"Military installation, actually." The medic clarified, stopping to take her blood pressure, pumping air into the band after wrapping it about her upper bicep. "Like I said, you were out of it for a while."

She lightly rubbed the back of her head, expecting to find a large lump or something worse, but was surprised to find nothing hurt. It wasn't even tender back there. So why the pounding headache? "What did they find?" She asked suddenly, shifting her gaze over to the medic.

The man avoided looking at her, listening intently in his stethoscope instead, pretending as if he'd not heard her. But Alexis was very good at noticing intricacies, and spotted the slight cringe in his face. He was definitely hiding something from her. She waited in silence while he finished, then jotted down some notes on his sheet before turning back to her, with a slightly guilty look. "I'm sorry.. I'm not authorized to say anything. Agent Banachek asked to debrief you once you felt up to it."

"I'm allowed to go then?"

"I'd like you to remain here, to be honest." The medic said, frowning a bit. "But Agent Banachek was firm about speaking to you once you're awake, so as long as you feel up to it, you're allowed to leave. But as I'm sure he'll tell you, you're not to leave the base."

With a sigh, Alexis nodded. The medic left, allowing her to get out of the bed and dress in the fatigues left nearby the foot of her bed. Once she had changed out of the medical garment and into her clothing, she slowly walked out of the hospital ward, soldiers directing her to where she needed to go. Despite being told she was at a military base, though she noted she hadn't been told where yet, she found it peculiar that there were no windows, no natural light. She surmised therefore that she was beneath ground somewhere at a more top secret facility. There were a lot of personnel down here making the corridors rather crowded. She finally made her way to the end of the corridor where a large 5 was imprinted on the wall, and entered the room at the end where two guards were standing watch. The moment she entered, Banachek looked her way from where he'd been conversing with some soldiers, pulling away from them and quickly coming to greet her. "Alexis." He said softly, taking her elbow with one hand, his other grabbing her shoulder as he stared down at her with clear obvious concern in his eyes. This wasn't normal, as he usually wore a calm composed professional face even in front of his top employee. "I'm so glad you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Like shit, Tom." She replied, smiling faintly. "But everything seems to be working fine."

He visibly relaxed, sighing slightly as he ran a hand through his short hair. Alexis studied him carefully as he walked to the wall and grabbed a coffee pot, pouring a cup for each of them. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear that. You had everyone here very worried for a while."

Alexis took the coffee as he offered it to her, sipping it and making a face. Military coffee. Ugh. It tasted about as bad as it could get. She held the mug idly as she watched the flurry of activity in the room next to them. "So what the hell's going on?"

"We made a huge discovery." Banachek said, holding the coffee tightly without sipping it, probably knowing how bad it was himself. "I can't tell you, Parks… this whole thing is out of control."

"So lay it down for me."

"All right. They ran diagnostics on that craft, turns out it definitely is a spaceship of some kind, badly damaged obviously. The engines were buried under the sand, but they're so shredded we're not sure we can salvage much from them. The rest of the ship seems to just be storage or living areas, but the biggest discovery…" He hesitated, staring across at her with a distant expression before he spoke softly. "We found a live alien in the same room as you. It's in extremely bad shape, and to be honest we're not even sure how to help it. But it's completely unlike anything we've ever seen before."

Alexis hadn't even realized that she was gripping the coffee mug so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. Hanging on every word Banachek spoke, her head spun wildly as she realized how large scale this was. "Will it live?" She asked quickly, feeling strange that her concern was the first thing on her mind.

"We're not sure. We've got mechanics working on it now, but…"

"Wait… mechanics?" She blurted out, interrupting him abruptly.

"Yes." Banachek said with a sigh. "Our alien appears to be a non-biological life form…"

She blinked, the eye coming back to her memory. "A mechanical life form." She murmured.

"That's right. I imagine you got a good look at it before it knocked you out." Banachek said, fixing her with a firm stare.

"I got an inkling." She muttered. "It must have walloped me upside the head or something…"

Banachek looked across the table at her, but said nothing. Instead, he rose back up and gestured. "Well, come have a look and see what you think."

In silence, she rose to follow him back outside. They only walked a few feet before stopping in front of a massive iron door. Banachek slid a card and a smaller security door opened, and together they walked into the room beyond. It was a small viewing room with a narrow glass window that looked into an enormous hanger of sorts. Several people were crowded in there already, but as they entered conversation fell silent. Banachek walked forward, leaning close to the wall to see through the window, and Alexis followed suit.

What she saw stole the words from her throat before she could utter them.

Laying on the ground, strapped down with chains binding what passed for arms and legs, was an enormous robot.

It was unlike any robot she could have possibly imagined. Sleek silver was scored black with scorch marks, wiring pouring out of broken joints, and it appeared to be entirely missing a limb or two, which she noticed were off to the side on a large table. It's arm was as thick as a cement pillar, it's entire body nearly the length of the room. Thin panels jutted out from it's back, one jagged and torn, the other bent and dented. It's head was massive, and tilted towards the window. The glowing red light that she remembered was gone, vacant unlit glass stared back at her from unlit eyes. It appeared to be wearing a helmet of sorts, fitted with a mask-like mouthpiece over it's face, giving it a distinctly sinister look. It was unmoving, and looked virtually dead, chained down as it was, but it was very distinctly a humanoid shape. Alexis felt a shiver run down her spine and held it inside as she stared on the alien's form.

"From what we can tell…" Banachek was saying quietly. "…it's badly damaged. The engineers tell me that there's still a solid energy source coming from it, so we don't think it's dead, but it was leaking a lot of liquid on the whole ride back. They managed to stop that, and are trying to figure out how it works." He glanced over at her, watching as her bright green eyes studied the silent figure, watching as yellow-suited technicians scrambled to and fro, trying to figure it out.

"Has it woken up yet?" She wondered aloud, unable to tear her eyes from it.

"Not that we know of. It hasn't moved since we found it with you."

She frowned slightly. So they didn't know what she'd seen then. She found herself staying quiet and not revealing what she knew, which was uncharacteristic for her. But something about this situation bothered her, as if there was something still that Banachek wasn't telling her. She stared intently at it, marveling suddenly at how amazing the construction was. It was all sleek lines and smooth curves, at least where it wasn't damaged. It was clearly a magnificent piece of machinery, and she couldn't help but feel wonder as she gazed down it's sleek form. "So what now?" She asked softly.

"Well, we're going to see what we can do to get it conscious." Banachek replied. "Until then, I'm afraid I can't let you leave the base. Since you were involved, we're going to have to go through standard debriefing protocols. We're waiting for some of the experts to arrive from Washington first, so take some time to unwind and relax. I'll let you know when they get here. We've assigned you a room, so you can avoid the barracks." He turned and lightly put a hand on her shoulder. "Get some rest. You'll need it."

Alexis decided that would be the best idea, and let herself be shown to the room. She wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but accepted a meal just the same, closing the door and laying down on the bed with a drained sigh. She felt sore all over, but oddly enough she didn't feel tired. She supposed sleeping for 48 hours straight was the explanation, and so she lay there with one arm under her head, staring at the ceiling, letting the last few days events filter through her head. It felt like a dream, but yet she felt oddly awake and lucid. She rubbed her eyes, feeling an ache starting there, as if she'd been staring at a computer too long.

Abruptly she paused. All of a sudden, she'd just gotten a wash of strange sensations filtering through her mind. Disorientation, confusion and pain.

She sat up abruptly, feeling an odd sensation of detachment, and the sudden sensation that she was in two places at once, as the feelings grew oddly stronger. A powerful wash of fear flooded through her, followed with reoccurring sensations of intense agony.

But as she sat there, eyes wide, she became distinctly aware that she herself was in absolutely no pain. She felt fine, better than fine actually. The headache had abruptly vanished, and as she sat there wondering over the strong sensations of disorientation and confusion, white-hot agony slashed through her head.

But the pain was not her own.

She doubled over, grabbing her head, overwhelmed against the sudden influx of emotions and feelings. Her mind was telling her she was in absolute agony, her whole body on fire, pain racing down her body, but she FELT none of it. Confusion, disorientation, fear and anger tickled her mind in a massive influx of thoughts, all at once.

"Attention all levels, code red."

Alexis squinted up through tears at the PA system, wondering what was going on to signal a full-on high-level alert. Her mind was awash with too much sensations and images to piece together what was going on, and she struggled to find her bed, collapsing back on it as her head spun wildly before blackness swallowed her back up.

When she next awoke, the feelings were gone and she felt calm and peaceful. Rolling over she glanced at the clock mounted on the wall, but the numbers meant nothing to her still groggy mind. Instead, she flipped onto her back, staring up at the concrete ceiling, trying to sort through whether she wanted to get up, or lay here a while longer. After laying there for a time, she glanced at the numbers again, and sighed, rolling out of bed and getting up. It was quiet out in the hallways, only a few soldiers roaming about. Alexis made her way to the holding room, pouring coffee before she used the card that Banachek had given her to enter the viewing room. It was quiet inside, no one was there at this time of night. She stepped over to the wall, and peered through the window. The robot was in the same place on the floor, still chained to the ground. However, as she studied it, she realized that it's head was not in the same position it had been before. It was pointed straight up at the ceiling this time, not slumped to the side. Curious, Alexis stared intently at the robot, absently sipping the coffee as she noticed that the mechanics had been obviously attempting to re-attach its severed leg. She sighed, pulling up a chair and sitting as she watched it until she finished her coffee. She rose and walked back out, giving the robot one final glance as she exited the room and walked into the mess hall for breakfast.

She ate, though with lack of enthusiasm. Poking at the rather rubbery eggs, rubbing her eyes. Something abruptly dropped on top of her eggs, and she groaned as she fished her contact lens out of the mess of ketchup. "Great." She grumbled, dunking it in her water glass and taking her napkin to carefully wipe ketchup off.

"Tough luck."

She grimaced, knowing that voice. She glanced up to see Reginald Simmons hovering over her. Her eyes narrowed in dislike. "Simmons."

"Heard you had some 'excitement'." He mocked, shrugging his shoulders at the word, much to her irritation. "At least you look fine."

"It takes more than a bonk on the head to put me out of commission." She bit out, glaring at him with distaste.

To her surprise, his brows lifted mockingly. "Bonk on the head? That's a nice way to put it." He grinned smugly at her. "Banachek wants you, when you're done playing with your food." He chuckled, walking away, leaving her wishing she could bore holes into his back.

Wait a sec…

She slowly turned her gaze back to the contact in her palm, then up again. A strange sensation flooded her, as she reached up and plucked the other contact out of her eye, and blinked to clear her vision.

Well now that was odd.

She could see better WITHOUT the contacts.

For the first time, Alexis began to get a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, as several dots began to slowly connect themselves.

Therefore, Tom Banachek was taken aback when Alexis slammed her fists down onto the desk, leaning across his desk to look him straight in the eyes. "Just what exactly are you hiding from me?"

Banachek blinked slowly, lowering the paper in his hand to stare back at her, studying her expression carefully before he sighed. "Sit." He gestured to the chair across from her. Alexis did as he asked, her bright green eyes staring at him with an intensity of a fox watching a chicken. "I take it Simmons couldn't keep his mouth shut?"

"That's part of it." She admitted slowly. "He dropped a hint."

Banachek sighed. "I really need to reign him in. He's becoming a problem."

"No shit." Alexis leaned forward. "So what the hell is going on here, Tom? What aren't you telling me?"

He sighed, rubbing his temple a moment before looking across the desk at her, serious cop-face in place. "When we found you, we weren't certain what caused you to lose consciousness. You had no physical injuries, and there was no indication that you'd inhaled anything toxic." Alexis frowned, but didn't interrupt him. "We took you back here to run tests after we discovered the alien was in the same room." He trailed off slowly, and Alexis could almost feel the 'but' hanging in the air. "We ran scans on you… At first we didn't find anything." He closed his eyes then slowly opened them staring across at her. "But then they discovered some kind of foreign metal in your bloodstream, and we figured that the alien must have injected you with something. Now, what that is we can't quite figure out. Anytime we remove blood from you, there doesn't seem to be any of the metal alloy, yet it's clearly detected in your blood stream. From what the medics have figured, it doesn't seem to be harming you… but we have absolutely no idea what this thing injected you with. For all we know, it could be toxic or dangerous at a later time, or it could have merely been a defense mechanism. The fact remains, we won't know until we get it conscious, and even then there's no telling it will understand us or be able to communicate." Alexis sat there, considering Banachek's words. Oddly enough, she didn't feel alarmed knowing that the alien had shot her up with something. It answered a lot of questions, actually. It explained why the medic was reluctant to speak with her further, and Simmon's teasing, and the lack of injury despite the splitting headache. She was a rational person, and preferred explanations. Knowing that she had some helped ease her anxiety, despite the fact most people might have found their anxiety doubled. Banachek was watching her intently. "Are you ok with this?"

"Yeah." She replied finally, looking up at him, and fingering the contacts in her pocket, her green eyes able to see him clearly, and in fact much sharper than she'd ever been able to see with the contacts. It was as if they were obsolete for her. "It explains a lot, actually. So what's going to happen to me then?"

Banachek sighed. "We're not sure yet. We're still waiting for the analysis team to get here. Apparently they're stuck behind red tape at the moment, but I'm told they'll be here by the end of the week. Until then, I'm afraid you're going to have to stay on base, and we can't put you back on duty. We want to make sure you're not compromised in any manner."

Alexis nodded. It was standard protocol, and to be honest she was slightly disturbed that she knew she HAD in fact been compromised, and wasn't speaking up about it. But somehow telling him that somehow her poor vision had completely healed to be better than average wasn't too alarming. It did leave her curious however. "These metal fragments, do they know what they are?"

"No… we can't get a microscope to read them. It's as if the moment we withdraw your blood, they're gone. Any sample we take comes out null."

Interesting…

"I'm sorry about the restrictions, but until we know more we can't let you return to duty. I hope you understand."

"I do." Alexis rose slowly. "If you could at least send someone to get a few of my things, my computer, some clothes, some books, I'd appreciate it."

"No problem. I'll have Simmons go fetch them." She grimaced and shot Banachek a look. "Ok, someone else then." He smiled. "If you notice anything out of the ordinary, anything at all no matter how small, I want you to let someone know. Either myself or the doctor."

"Yes sir." Alexis murmured, feeling that knowing guilt eating at her from within. "Is there anywhere above base I can go to get some air?"

"There's an outdoor picnic area, but it's not much I'm afraid."

"That's fine." She smiled and bid him farewell, desperate to just see the sun or stars, even for a minute. Being below ground was entirely too claustrophobic. She found the elevator to the surface, and after a long silent trip emerged in a small courtyard atop a simple concrete building amidst a bunch of others. There was a table, a small umbrella to keep the sun off, and endless desert on the other side of the base in every direction. Alexis squinted against the sun, stepping to the edge of the building where wire fence kept anyone from jumping off either to escape or something more sinister. Desert was in every direction, as far as the eye could see, no break in the horizon. Alexis had been to most desert bases, but she knew instinctively that this was not Edwards or Nellis. This was something else… and she had a sneaking suspicion she knew where, judging from the scorching hot temperatures all around her. The heat rippled off the sand creating waves of watery illusion all around the base. She leaned against the fence, scanning the horizon idly, just glad to be outside. She'd never felt claustrophobic before, but somehow she'd felt very small and hopeless being encased in the underground base. It felt so much better to be out here, as if the sky was swallowing her into it's welcoming embrace. The blue extended as far as she could stretch her fingers, horizon to horizon of unbroken endless sky.

Her heart fluttered wildly, causing her to lean heavily against the fence as a strange rush of exhilaration flooded through her. Her head spun abruptly, and she had to clutch onto the wire for support. The soldier who had accompanied her up here walked over quickly. "Ma'm? Are you ok?"

"Uh…" She groaned, grabbing her head and sinking down onto the hot cement bench as her knees felt shaky. "Yeah… Yeah I'm fine, just the heat I think. Just give me a moment." The guard backed off obligingly, and as she sat there gulping breaths of hot air, the feeling slowly eased. It hadn't been a bad feeling per say, but it had been a rush of overwhelming urge to simply lose herself in the sky. She'd often had feelings like that, wishing to free herself from her boring job, take off and go on a road trip, but she'd NEVER enjoyed flying before, and the thought of soaring into the open blue sky suddenly had overwhelmed her. It wasn't like she avoided planes, they were a necessity in her job, but this… She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her heart pounding hard beneath her palm. The feeling eased a bit more, pulling back, leaving her feeling a bit more normal.

It was then that she felt the tickling sense of curiosity in the back of her head. It wasn't like anything she'd felt before… she didn't know why she would feel curious, she should be worried about why she'd just reacted like that, but instead she felt that nagging sense of wonder in the back of her head. As she directed her thoughts to trying to figure it out, abruptly it was gone, and in that moment a flood of something else entirely filled her.

Pain. Fear. Confusion.

She squeezed her eyes shut as the feelings rushed through her in a sudden rush. It was the same as it had been the night before! It was almost as if she was witnessing someone else's'…

Someone else's' feelings!


	3. Chapter 3

**The Complications of Life **

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: This is a re-telling of the movie-verse, given that do not assume any of it happened the same way. I'm writing from scratch with all new secrets. And while certain characters have been included, do not assume end results._

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

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**Chapter Three**

Her head jerked up as the realization hit her with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Suddenly it made sense. These feelings weren't her own… and that meant it could only belong to one person… the same person who had injected her with a strange substance, which theoretically could be responsible for this happening in the first place.

It was the alien's consciousness that was feeding these feelings to her, knowingly or not. She was feeling HIS pain, HIS confusion, HIS fear.

The realization of the situation should have frightened her, but instead it had the opposite effect. She found herself focusing in on the feelings, trying to sense more, trying to figure them out. The pain was there primarily, flickering and fading in and out with groggy awareness. Within that awareness was confusion as to where he was, what was going on, and a fear of something else that she couldn't place. As she now realized what was going on and could focus on it, she tuned in to those feelings and listened to them, felt them. At first it was overwhelming. Feeling emotions that weren't her own was a strange detached experience, but as she tuned in she began to feel empathy for this alien being. No matter what it had done to her, she had a feeling that it was for a reason. She found herself trying to impress her own feelings towards this alien consciousness, trying to spread a sense of calm towards it. The anxiety did ease a little, and she smiled slightly realizing that this emotional bond extended both ways. This could be very helpful, she realized as she opened her eyes. This could be a key in learning to communicate.

It was also more than a little disturbing, being connected to someone on such a personal level.

After regaining her composure, she headed back down inside, keeping her mind calm in an attempt to soothe the anxiety and fear plaguing the back of her mind. It was only half there, as if the alien was still half conscious and not quite coherent. Though knowing it could be risky, she made the decision to go to the viewing room. She was lucky that there was no one else there, and she chose a seat, staring out the window with intense green eyes.

The mechanics were busy studying and working on the mech. Cold air was being vented into the room, the yellow-suited technicians apparently immune to the chill with their suits. As they worked they did not seem to be aware of the dim red light glowing from the alien's strange eyes, or rather eye. The other was dark, only one lit up. Alexis leaned forward, staring intently through the window with unhidden curiosity, and some of that must have transferred through this new link, for the alien's head slowly tilted her direction, the eye shifting until it was locked directly on her own. She felt a thrill of excitement run down her spine, as a small tingle of recognition itched at the back of her mind. It knew her. It recognized her. Not only did that mean it was awake, but that it was clearly intelligent.

She met it's gaze unblinkingly.

A tingle at the back of her mind drew her attention. Curiosity again. She smiled a little, and wondered just what it must think of her. She leaned forward, watching as the light flickered in it's gaze, its version of a blink. It's mind was still groggy, half-aware of that which was happening around it. She realized how disconcerting this must be for an alien. He had crashed here on a foreign world, might not even know a thing about where he was, or who they were, and now he was in a strange place, chained down like an experiment, being poked and prodded and who knew what else. No wonder it was confused and afraid. Abandoning any pretense, she stood and pressed herself as close to the glass as she could, trying to better get a look at it. It's physical condition was horrible, now that she studied it closer. Though they appeared to have stopped it's fluids from leaking, she could only compare to what a human might be suffering. If a human lost too much blood it still could be deadly. She wondered if it operated under similar circumstances. Certainly any sedative made for humans couldn't possibly work on an alien, though the cold atmosphere within likely was the cause for making it sluggish. It continued to stare at her, unblinkingly, the curiosity still tickling at the back of her mind. Curious as to it's intentions, she stretched towards that feeling, and abruptly felt a strange sensation as another part of her mind tingled. At first she pulled back, the feeling stopped. But when she pushed back again, it grew stronger. Curious, she opened her mind, and almost instantly felt a flood of thought flood into her own. It was disorienting having the feeling of someone rifling through her thoughts, her mind, but the probing was not forced, but purposeful. She realized nearly immediately what he was looking for, and let him. Within moments, the feeling receded, pulling back and leaving her feeling slightly dizzy. She re-focused her eyes and stared back at the alien, noticing that it's eye seemed dimmer, flickering slightly. As she watched, it stopped flickering, and re-brightened, focusing back on her. And that's when it happened.

_Hello._

The voice seemed to reverberate from within her, tickling her mind like the deep sound of audio bass turned up, but there was no sound to her ears. The voice was large, enveloping, and had a strange echo to it, almost like a digital reverberation. It was strangely flat, emotionless and empty, and it sent a chill down her spine, both from the excitement of what she had just experienced, but also from the slight anxiety of the strange toneless voice speaking to her in her head. She leaned forward, whispering under her breath. "Hello." Her green eyes sparkled with excitement. What did one say to an alien who initiated first contact.

_Where am I?_

"You're inside one of our military facilities." She whispered softly under her breath. "We brought you here from your ship. Do you remember that?"

_Yes._

She grimaced at the short response. "I'm sorry." She said feeling a twinge of regret. "We weren't sure how to best help you. I know it doesn't seem like we're trying, but we couldn't just leave you out there. It's just… I don't think they understand how to help you. We've never run into anything like you before. They tried to stop your… uh… fluids from leaking out. But I'm not sure they know what else to do."

There was a long hesitation, and she saw it's eye flickering again, and had the impression that it was trying to figure out just how badly damaged it was. After a moment, it's gaze brightened again, and focused on her. _They have managed to stabilize my critical systems._

"That's good. So you're going to be ok?"

_I am nowhere near… ok._ Came the rather testy response. She couldn't help but smile a little. It then made the attempt to move it's one functioning arm, which unfortunately was a mistake. The chains shifted, drawing the attention of every person in the room, and chaos ensued. Alexis cringed as the techs were on him, swarming and shouting orders, which didn't help ease his anxiety, as a spike of alarm flooded through her.

"Just calm down." She urged trying to impress her own sense of calm upon him. "Getting riled up isn't going to do you any good at the moment. Just relax."

_I do not like being held here like a prisoner._

"I know." She winced watching the techs tightening the chains, which made the robot's eye flash warningly. "But right now there's nothing we can do. You're too injured to go moving around yet, and if you tried to leave they'd stop you and put you under heavier security than you are now, and probably me as well. We should just take it one step at a time. Now that you're awake we can see about making sure you're fixed up, then we can worry about what comes next."

_I do not like this. I am being restrained against my will._

"I know." Alexis sighed, feeling an empty ache in her chest. "I don't like this situation much either. I think that they could have handled it better, but considering we didn't know anything about why you were here or what you could do, would you blame them for being cautious?"

There was a long hesitation, before the reply came calmer but a bit grudging. _I suppose that logic is not flawed. Very well… I will remain here while they repair me._

She relaxed a little, watching as it's glowing eye flickered off, and it fell still, leaving the techs to wonder if it had gone back into a state of sleep. However, she knew better as she could still feel it's awareness tickling at the back of her head. "Good." She said under her breath, slipping out of the room, thinking it was best to hold any conversation with him in the privacy of her own room. "I'm sorry for how things happened." She said softly, shutting the door behind her and locking it to be safe, sinking back onto the bed and laying down. "I'm sure you're very confused."

_I understand the situation, though I do not like it._

"So… the reason you uh… injected something into me… it was so you could communicate, wasn't it?"

_It was necessary. You were the first intelligent entity that I encountered. I did not want to take the risk of not being able to understand those around me, should this exact thing happen._

"I understand." She murmured. "It was a bit startling to them, but I understand why you did what you did. But I have to ask… will it do anything to me? The doctors have no clue what it was you did, and they're pretty paranoid about it. I'm not being permitted to do anything. They seem to be afraid I'll be compromised."

_A reasonable deduction. You _**have**_ been compromised. _

She smiled. "I suppose I have."

_You will not suffer negative side-effects, if you are concerned. I injected you with nanites programmed to enable you to become compatible to our technology, and enables you to communicate with me. It will have other benefits to your frail human body._

She lifted an eyebrow. "Frail?"

_Your bio-organic life-forms are so small and easily damaged. How do you suffer living in them?_

"We make do." She said, corners of her lips perking up in a smile. "I think you'll find we're not as frail as you think."

_I have been studying your life-forms for quite some time. I am aware of your limitations._

"Really?" she asked curiously. "You've been studying us?"

_There are few planets capable of sustaining life. Your organic life-form is unique and a curiosity to our scientific fields. It has long since been the topic of many studies for our people._

"How long have you been studying us?"

_Since we discovered your existence before you were classified as intelligent species._

She lifted an eyebrow. "What classifies us as intelligent?"

_Your ability to construct mechanical machines and other technology._

She smiled at that. For a robot, it made sense. Intelligence meant creating things like themselves. "So not that long, huh. And you never made contact with us before."

_Your level of technology is still well beneath our own. There was no need to disturb your natural progression._

"So you're not hear to invade us like all the doomsayers claim, eh?"

_What point would that make? You have nothing of interest to the majority of our people. We would not have interfered normally._

"So what changed?"

There was a long pause. _Our planet has been at war for a very long time. Things have not gone well. I caught the end of a critical blow to my ship. I was just able to warp out of the battle. My engines gave out before I could pull out of my sharp descent, and was forced to crash here. It was not my intention to reveal myself._

"War…" She murmured softly, the idea of alien robots fighting sending a chill through her. "How long has your planet been at war?"

_Long before I was sparked._ Was the quiet answer. _Far too long. It has ravaged our world nearly to complete destruction._

"That sounds horrible." Alexis said quietly, unable to completely understand the full impact of what a whole world at war must be like. "We have wars here, but to imagine the whole world impacted…"

_It has been destructive._

"So you're not a soldier fighting then?"

_I am not. I am a scientist. I refuse to take sides in the war. Unfortunately this comes with a dangerous price. Both sides target those who remain neutral._

"That's horrible." She murmured, her emotions blending with his as she sympathized with his situation. "What will you do once you're out of here?"

There was a long pause. _I have no choice but to return. There is nowhere else to go. Our people depend on certain energy sources that is not common to the rest of the universe._

"What kind of energy?"

_It is called energon. Partically charged fluids that run our systems. It must be refined before we can utilize it. I have lost far too much from my crash. I must find some before I can even think about attempting to leave this planet._

"You can't make more of it?"

_My body will automatically regenerate it, but it is a very slow process with such grievous injuries. Were my systems to be repaired it would go faster. However, it would take many rotations of your planet before I were strong enough to leave under my own power as I am now._

Alexis sighed. He truly was in a dire situation. "I'll see what I can do to help them repair you, but I'm not sure what I can do without arousing suspicion."

_Can you work your world's repair tools?_

"Yeah, but…"

_Then let me handle the rest. I will inform you when the repair technicians have left._

"But..!"

_You may wish to rest. This could take time._

Alexis blinked, feeling the presence suddenly retreat from her mind. She had the feeling that the alien had just shut her out. She sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't feel tired, though she knew she'd been awake for far longer than she should have. No undesired side-effects, eh? What about desired side-effects? So far she had lost the need for her contact lenses, been able to telepathically communicate with a space-alien, and who knew what else. He mentioned something about being compatible with their technology, whatever that meant. Right now, all of her training was screaming at her. She had completely thrown protocol out the window, but common sense also negated protocol. If she brought up what she knew, she was certain she would not only not be permitted to see him, but locked up in a cell of her own for her own safety. This was a breach of every rule and regulation made. But then, taking and holding an alien who had not threatened them in any way was a breach in her personal protocols. She understood the government regulations, but this was a bit much. She spent the rest of the day laying there trying to get some rest. Unfortunately she didn't seem to fall asleep until moments before the alien's voice broke her sanctuary.

_Human. Wake._

She blinked, sitting up as she rubbed her eyes lazily. "Alexis." When there was no response, she pressed on. "My name. It's Alexis. You do have a name system on your planet, don't you? To tell each other apart?"

_We do. My designation does not translate well into your language._

"Well, is there anything I can use to call you? I can't keep thinking 'alien robot' at you."

There was a long pause. _I will consider an alternative. The technicians have left for their rest period. Now is the time to work on my repairs._

"Ok… how am I supposed to get in there? I don't have the pass codes."

_I will take care of it._

With a sigh, Alexis rose and swiftly slipped down the hallways. No one was out, as it was late, so she had no problem getting to the door. Unfortunately, as predicted, the pass code kept her from opening it. She tugged on the handle, but it wouldn't budge. However, abruptly the light turned green just as she was about to ask the robot for help. Curious, she opened the door and slipped within, to find him watching her squinting with his glowing red eye. "That was handy." She commented aloud, slowly walking towards him. "How did you do that?"

_Human security systems are based on a binary code, very simple to hack into._

She smiled at that, shaking her head. "Boy these guys are going to be in for a surprise when you're back up and on your feet." She stopped just at his elbow, peering up at him with unhidden curiosity. Being this close she could see intricacies that she hadn't noticed before. Deep gouges on his shiny armored shell, parts and cogs that moved when he shifted, the hot air that wafted out of his exhaust ports located on his shoulders. She studied him as he studied her, both wary of each other but fascinated all the same. She couldn't determine half of his workings, but she also knew that the damage he'd sustained was probably half the trouble. She slowly reached out and placed a hand over his massive hand that lay chained to the ground at the wrist. The metal was warm. Not hot, but warm, as if it were truly alive, which in fact it was, she realized with some awe, leaning forward. There was a large gash in the top of his hand, but as she leaned closer she could SEE it slowly being welded together on its own. It was slow, but a fresh scar shone across the part that had already been healed, the rest slowly being regenerated particles at a time. As he flexed his hand beneath hers, she could feel the metal moving underneath. It appeared hard and inflexible, but yet it seemed still able to move enough to allow him full mobility. She turned her gaze back upwards at him. "What can I do then? Tell me what you need done, and I'll do it."

It started with the simple things. She was no mechanic, so she practiced welding metal back together first. It left hideous welding scars, but he assured her his repair systems would take over on the lesser damage later. The first few days they worked on the small things, but after she managed to grasp the mechanics of his systems they began working on re-attaching his leg and his arm. During that time, she learned a little about him. When he wasn't groggy from the frigid air being pumped into the room, he was actually good conversation. He was a bit coarse and grumpy at times, but most of that she could pass off from the pain he was in. Even as she worked, she could feel it lingering in the back of her head. Every welding mark, every winch she turned registered. She felt horrible for causing him such pain, but she also knew this was the best and only way to help him on the road to recovery. While she couldn't get him out of the chains, their time spent simply talking was more than enough reassurance for both of them.

Unfortunately, she had known there would come a time when her efforts were discovered. After all, a robot self-repairing at such a rate was suspicious even given his self-repair systems.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Complications of Life **

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: This is a re-telling of the movie-verse, given that do not assume any of it happened the same way. I'm writing from scratch with all new secrets. And while certain characters have been included, do not assume end results._

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

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**Chapter Four**

The door opened abruptly, startling her out of a sound sleep. Squinting up into the bright light spilling in from the hallway, she saw Banachek staring down at her with a solemn expression. "Parks. We need to talk. Come with me."

Dread filled her in a flood. She reached out but didn't find the consciousness of her partner drifting about in the back of her head. He was asleep, or in recharge as he called it. She was in this solo. Following Banachek, she found herself lead through the halls up into the upper levels, and into a small interrogation room where Banachek shut the door firmly behind them, locking the two of them in there together. He turned to face her, his expression falling from it's stoic cop façade to one of disappointment. "Parks… Alexis… What on earth were you thinking?" She winced. "Repairing the alien? Did you forget everything you learned in training?"

"No, sir." She said quietly.

"Then why didn't you tell us you knew more? What's been happening? Why were you sneaking in when the technicians were off-duty? Why were you repairing it without authorization?"

"Because what they're doing here is wrong, and you know it." She said calmly back, staring across the table at him with a firm resolution in her gaze. "Keeping him here, drugging him, running experiments and not even TRYING to communicate. Did you really think this is acceptable Tom? I mean, alien invasions aside, he's done nothing to harm us at all, and here you are taking him apart rather than trying to help him."

"We don't know why he's here…"

"I do." She said quietly, interrupting him. Tom fell silent, staring at her. "He crashed here fleeing a war on his home world. He doesn't mean us any harm, in fact he's been studying us for quite some time. He's a scientist."

Tom stared at her with a mixture of disbelief and concern. "And how do you know all this? No one has been able to communicate with him yet."

"He doesn't trust anyone else, seeing as they aren't doing much to help him. Sure, you stopped him from dying on the field, but you haven't done anything else yet to make him want to trust you."

"And you know this because…."

"Because he made the first move when he injected me with some nanites." She replied quietly. "They enable me to communicate with him. That's how I know, we've been talking."

Banachek stared at her blankly, then put a hand across his face as he sighed. "I was afraid of this."

"Look, I know how it sounds." She said quietly. "But he really is no threat to us."

"You don't know that. For all we know, he could be lying to us just to get free. The moment he's free, he unleashes destruction on the base as punishment for holding him."

"You're right, he could be planning that." She admitted. "I have no way of proving his story one way or the other. What I do know is that he's posed no threat to me, he's opened up and told me a great deal about his world and what's going on there. His people are at war over some ancient artifact, control of it. He's a neutral and takes no sides, and doesn't want to be a part of the war. He thinks wars are stupid, and wishes that it had never started. His people are all robots like him. They'd never heard of biological life until he and his partner discovered our world and began studying it from afar. They were interested in finding more about us, but didn't want to make their presence known for fear of it causing interference. If he meant to have them invade us, they could have done it ages ago. From what he tells me their race is very old, ancient by our terms. They were out flying about the universe before our planet was even capable of sustaining life! That's why they're so interested in how we develop, since they watched us grow from scratch!"

"And you take this all on the word of an alien who violated your body by injecting foreign material into it!" Banachek replied, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but we can't simply just accept his word at face value."

"You can't keep him here forever." She said softly. "It'll be sending a clear message that we're hostile to the rest of them. Then they'll take action."

"Do any others of his kind know he's here?" She stayed silent, feeling that sinking feeling of dread fill her stomach. "I thought not." He replied softly. "If no one knows he's here, then no one will declare war on us. We cannot take risks. Until we can verify what he's telling us, and until we can confirm that you are not compromised, I'm afraid I'm going to have to place you under secure guard."

"You're arresting me?" Alexis was on her feet, alarm spreading through her like a wildfire. That emotion was enough to jolt her partner out of recharge. She felt his consciousness latch onto hers, following every word intently. "You can't do that!"

"Don't make this difficult." Tom rose to his feet, gesturing to the window. The guards outside the room stormed in, and Alexis had the sinking feeling of being suddenly cuckold. "You know I don't want to do this, but you broke protocol and are a security risk."

_You cannot allow them to contain you. _Came the sudden alert voice in the back of her head._  
_

_I know that!_ She sent back hotly, glancing wildly at the men as they approached with handcuffs. _But I'm out of options here!_

_Fight them._

_What?! I can't take on two armed guards!_

_Yes, you can._ The answer was said so certainly, so firmly, that she nearly didn't act. However, up until now her makeshift partner had known exactly what she was capable of, right down to her skill set, and she knew instinctively that if he said she could act, she could.

She rushed the first man with her shoulder, taking him completely by surprise. He flew backwards slamming into the wall as she forced her way past the other, ducking as he reached for her, her knee ending firmly in his gut as she ducked through the hallway. Her heart pounding, she didn't even hear the alarm begin to blare all around her, caught by surprise at how she'd single-handedly taken down two men twice her size in a matter of seconds. She skidded around the corner, flying by several other men who shouted in alarm as she sped by them on legs faster than she had ever used. It felt as if the ground was lifting away from her as she skidded around the corner and abruptly came to a stop. Men were flooding down the corridor, guns in hand. But oddly enough they weren't coming for her, they were running FROM something.

The explosion that filled the corridor blew her clear off her feet and into the adjacent wall. With a shriek of surprise, she narrowly avoided being struck by flying cement as it rained down the hallway, smoke flooding the corridor as alarmed shouts filled the air. Coughing, she lifted her head uncertainly in time to see a massive shadowed figure emerge from the hole in the wall directly in front of her. She wondered briefly if he'd been holding back on her, obviously having broken the chains with ease to escape. The alien stood taller than she had imagined, filling the hole so that no light shone through. There was no way he could possibly fit inside the small corridor she realized as it's gleaming red eye scanned the corridor and finally landed on her. _MOVE_. The order came sharply. She scrambled to her feet and bolted right for him, ducking and dodging debris and groaning men as she headed directly towards the towering figure. The moment she jumped through the hole, the robot turned and lifted an arm at the wall again, firing two short blasts with something that had not been on his arm before. A glowing narrow piece of metal that appeared to be a gun blew violet light out of it's barrel, slamming into the wall. The concrete shattered and collapsed, effectively blocking the hole he had just made. Startled, Alexis fell over her own feet, staring upwards at him with shock. Not only did he tower over her in a massive complex mass of metal, but it was then she realized something she hadn't realized up until this point. The two strips of metal that she had thought were loose panels from his armor were in fact in a fixed position across his back and in a very particular shape. The realization of what they were hit her the moment he bent down and scooped her up into his enormous hand. Grabbing onto his large thumb, she only just managed to hold herself still to witness him lifting his arm to blast a hole in another wall. Instantly an enormous corridor opened up, clearly a loading tunnel. He made a low grunt that grated like metal on rock from the mouthpiece covering his face, and his optic flashed down at her. _This will be rather… disorienting._

"Wait, what…?" She started to ask, her eyes wide as she stared at the tunnel.

_Hold on tightly._

She felt his entire frame rumble, as if a strong motor were igniting, and then suddenly they were moving, and moving fast. With a gasp, it was all she could do to hold on tightly as the air whooshed by all around her, ripping her hair free of it's tie to smack her in the face. She managed to squeeze her eyes open, and saw the tunnel rushing towards them at an incredible rate, and knew instinctively that she had been right about those flat panels. They were wings. They weren't running through this corridor, they were spinning rather wildly from side to side, coming dangerously close to the walls in some cases, as the robot flew wildly down the open tunnel. It was all she could do to cling on desperately to his thumb to avoid being bounced around in his half-closed fist that was clutched tightly to his chest as they spun through the tunnel. She peered back behind them and saw a burning trail of blue plasma coming out of one of his feet, the other was black and dark, dangling helplessly, and considering she had only barely attached it the night before she wasn't surprised that thruster didn't work. She turned back around, thanking her lucky stars that she wasn't motion sick with the wild spinning they were doing, twisting around cables and pipes, as his wings were only barely small enough to fit within the tunnel. Then, up ahead she saw the closed doors that signaled the end of the tunnel, and gasped. They were going to smash into those in mere seconds like a fly on a windshield. In a panic, she glanced up at the robot, and saw his face appeared to be in a tight state of concentration. Their trajectory abruptly straightened, ceasing the wobbling, and she watched as he lifted his other arm. Cringing she ducked down covering her head and braced herself. She felt the concussive blast before she heard it, debris bouncing off the robot with loud heavy clanks before suddenly a rush of smoke and dust surrounded her.

And then they were free.

Bright sunlight spilled around her as suddenly her stomach did a loop as their trajectory changed, this time G-forces pushing her into his palm as he tilted upwards, tearing into the open sky above them. She watched in wonder as the desert fell away smoothly beneath them, the base growing smaller and smaller. The wind was hot and smelled of arid plants instead of sick fumes, but as she felt her heart soar at their newfound freedom, she saw something that sent fear rippling through her. "WATCH OUT!" She screamed mentally as well as out loud.

The robot didn't turn it's head, but she felt it's concentration turn as it threw itself to the side wildly, just in time to miss the brunt of a missile that had been aimed directly for it's back. It missed blowing them to pieces, but tore an enormous chunk out of it's left wing, and Alexis felt their stability in the air immediately falter. The robot threw itself to the side, twisting elegantly like a cat in mid-air, avoiding another missile lobbed at them, doing an impressive dance of aerobics as the F-22's streaked after them, intent on taking him down. A loud cacophony of sound burst from his throat, and she had the distinct impression he was cussing them out in his own language. His grip around her tightened protectively as he suddenly dove down straight for the ground at breakneck speeds. The two jets followed him, hot on his tail. Alexis could see the pilots' heads inside their cockpits as the closed in on the injured flying robot. How was he planning on losing them? _Cover your ears._ Came the sudden command in her head. She looked wildly up at his gleaming red optic, but obeyed instantly, slamming her thumbs into her ear canals, and hunkering down preparing for the worst.

She felt it more than heard it. It started out as a vibration in the metal she was crouched on in his palm, and then worked it's way to a jolting jarring sensation in her very bones. She could hear the distant whine of something piercing the air, and watched in horror as the jets' windshields shattered behind them, the pilots reeling in disorientation, before tearing off to either side, breaking off pursuit just in time for the robot to throw himself aside, spinning to avoid missing the desert floor, skimming inches above the surface before tearing back up skyward in a tight spiral that would have been enough to make her vomit if she had anything in her stomach. When they straightened back out again and her head stopped spinning wildly, she saw the two jets still flying, but far behind them. "What… what did you do?" she breathed glancing up his way.

His expression was still a focused mask of concentration, as his gaze didn't waver enough to look her way. _I sent a sonic pulse that disabled their systems momentarily. They won't be following us._

Alexis immediately knew something was wrong. His mental voice was tightly controlled, hesitant. She could now feel it, distant as he appeared to be trying to hide it from her, but there was a definite sense of lack of control wavering at the edge of his consciousness. He was barely staying lucid. "You need to put down!" She insisted, concern for his safety filling her with fear. "You're in no shape to be doing this!"

_I have no choice. I must get far enough away so we are not recaptured._

She couldn't talk him out of it. Their trajectory did not change as he soared high above the desert landscape. It seemed they were up there for hours, but as the sun began to fall, so did his trajectory. A concerned glance up at him told her that he was focused on something, and she turned her gaze to see what it was he was aiming for. She saw it after a moment, a cave cut out of the side of a sharp box canyon, hidden well from view by several rocky cliff faces. It was here that he lowered himself until at last he touched down with his non-functioning thrustered foot, stumbling a little as they landed and came to a stop. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, slowly he lowered his hand and set her down. Alexis climbed to her feet unsteadily, used to having to kneel for the last several hours, and watched as the robot slowly limped his way to the overhang, and half-sat, half-collapsed on the ground with a shuddering thud. When he didn't move again, she slowly approached and stood by his limp hand, gazing up at him. "Hey…" She said softly. His optic flickered back on, but she noticed that it was lit with less light than normal. He was exhausted. "Are you going to be ok?"

_I… must rest. I… am not well enough to have… done that._ Came the slow hesitant response. _You are free to go where you wish… I do not wish to detain you because of my troubles._

"A little late for that now." She mumbled, sitting down next to his foot, and leaning against it, glad for the hot metal that was nearly warm enough to burn her. "I'm in this just as deep as you. I'm not going anywhere."

_I must rest now…_

She watched as his optic flickered back off, and she felt his presence retract from her mind as he lapsed into unconsciousness. She ran a hand over her face, feeling slightly shaky after their crazed flight from captivity. Granted, she was relieved he was free of the government's hands, but now they were both in trouble. Out in the desert with a wounded robot. She frowned and rose to her feet, slowly walking around to his other side, and staring at his left wing. Half of it was missing, fluids dribbling down his side to pool on the ground. Not only did that look painful, but she knew that losing more fluids would probably be deadly for him. Grimacing, she carefully began to climb his slippery metal chassis, working her way up until she was able to straddle his wing, pushing herself along it's edge until she reached the ruined edge and could study the broken lines. It was quickly growing dark out here, and she had to move fast or she would not be able to see what she was doing. Using her hair tie, ripped pieces of her pants and shoelaces, she managed to tie off the ends of the broken lines and cables that were dribbling fluids. By the time it was dark, she had managed to stop the leaks, and was covered in blue and brown gunk. But she felt better knowing she had done what she could to help him. She wandered outside, staring up at the stars before walking to the middle of the narrow canyon where a small creek ran, splashing herself with water to clean herself off. It was cooling off, but she knew it wasn't going to be cold enough to be dangerous to her, so after cleaning she simply returned back to the cave, sat down at his foot, and let sleep claim her.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Complications of Life **

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: This is a re-telling of the movie-verse, given that do not assume any of it happened the same way. I'm writing from scratch with all new secrets. And while certain characters have been included, do not assume end results._

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

**Chapter Five**

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It was the sound of something that did not fit their natural environment that woke her. At first Alexis wasn't sure what had stirred her awake, and sat there in silence, listening intently, only able to see the shadow of the ridge across the canyon framing the starry sky. Then, she heard it again. A deep reverberating chord of digital sounds that sounded oddly familiar. She turned her head back to her silent companion, but one check told her he was still out cold. No more liquids had spilled out of his side, thankfully, but he had not yet woken or stirred from his position. Slowly, she rose to her feet, knowing it was up to her to determine who was disturbing them. Carefully she peered out the cave and glanced first left, then right, and froze. Lights shone down the canyon a bit, approaching slowly. About five vehicles were slowly rolling down the canyon. She pulled herself lower down, staring intently at them. There was something wrong… they didn't look like military issue jeeps… in fact, each pair of lights had a different shape and make, none of them military. It wasn't until the roar of an engine gunning sounded, and a sleek silver compact car came speeding closer that she realized the cars were civilian, and rather fancy ones at that. Some kids out joyriding, no doubt. Unless they were heading here, she figured they would just pass by. However, that's when she heard the sounds again. Deep digital sequences of garbled tones, and abruptly the silver car slowed, did a 180 in perfect circle, and stopped to wait for the rest of the caravan. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the side of the silver car. Definitely sporty, it wasn't the kind of car any normal person would take joyriding in the middle of the desert. It tickled her suspicions, and when something strange began to happen, she felt her entire body tense up in surprise and realization.

At first, it was subtle, a small echo of sound, and then clicking of parts, but then as one the entire vehicle began to shift, twist and rotate, splitting into a thousand sections, maneuvering to re-arrange themselves all in a blink of the eye. It took only a handful of seconds, but as her green eyes observed the car became a robot. It was much smaller than her own companion by comparison, standing perhaps half or even one-third of his full height, but the design similarities were there. Smooth metal of alien design, interconnected parts that formed complex working bi-pedal parts. Alexis could immediately appreciate the differences between this car-robot and her partner, clearly designed for flight. The car-robot was smaller, sleeker, and built for speed on the ground, but there was also something else she noticed as peculiar in their differences: this one had two brightly glowing blue lights for eyes, instead of her partners' one red. She idly wondered if this made a difference, but was distracted when the other vehicles caught up with the transformed robot. Being a stickler for details, Alexis immediately focused on the other four. They were of varying size and make, a semi-truck, a second sporty car, a hummer and a large pickup truck. And there was one distinct detail she noted, with her newfound sharp vision: each vehicle was devoid of a driver.

Her suspicions were proven when as one all four remaining vehicles began to shift and change in sequence, each with a unique flair of their own, until five robots of varying shape, size and bulk stood together, speaking in the pulses of digital sounds that she surmised was their language. It was entirely different from the sounds that she had heard from her companion grating and harsh, whereas these sounds were smooth and almost melodic in their form. Unfortunately, she could make no heads or tails of their speech, as their body language gave nothing away as to why they were here. However, her mind tickled at the realization that it was entirely possible they were here looking for her companion. After all, they seemed to be of the same kind, it was possible they had advanced tracking methods that helped them locate one another. However, knowing what she knew about their society, she wasn't about to get too excited. The last thing she wanted was more harm befalling her partner. She wasn't sure she could trust them or not… yet, she also had little choice at the moment. He was in poor shape, and she had no idea if his life was endangered or not, therefore forcing her to make a hard decision on the fly: to trust, or not to trust? That was the pickle.

Fortunately, or perhaps not so much, that dilemma was abruptly solved for her, when one of the robot's piercing gaze scanned their surrounding environment, a light green latticework of lines spreading over the rocks and walls of the canyon, sliding smoothly across the terrain and sweeping over her hidden spot behind the rocks. The light didn't pause, however it did shut off not long after passing her hiding spot, and a small burst of sound accompanied the robot's explanation. Peering cautiously over the rock, she saw all five gazes sweep towards her location, and despite ducking down behind the rock, she knew that they had spotted her. Heat signatures perhaps, it didn't matter, her hiding spot had been compromised. As she crouched there, breath held, she heard soft reverberations in the hard earth as footsteps slowly began to grow steadier and firmer as someone was approaching. She risked a glance upwards, only to see two piercing blue eyes staring down at her from the same robot who had initiated the scan, the one which had been the bright neon humvee. "My apologies…" a deep voice rumbled out in perfectly understandable English. "…but we cannot risk you knowing about us. I assure you, this will not hurt, and you will awake in about an hour." Her heart leapt as she saw a sharp needle materialize out of the robot's finger as it neared closer to her.

She had to act. "Wait!" She said sharply, standing up to her full 5 foot 5 inch height, squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin without fear before the robot. Surprised, it did stop, staring down at her with obvious curiosity portrayed on it's very expressive facial plates. "I already know more than you realize." She said firmly. "And if you wipe my memory, you'll not get any information from me."

The robot blinked. "I beg your pardon?" It asked, ever so polite, but clearly surprised. "What could you possibly offer in the way of information?"

She crossed her arms, not daunted by the situation, despite having a towering robot standing over her. "You're out here looking for another of your kind, aren't you?"

She could immediately sense the wariness in the robot as he stared down at her, a subtle tensing of his posture, and shift of his gaze to regard her more critically. "What do you know of it?" He asked slowly, cautiously.

"I was the one with him when he escaped government custody. I know where he is, but before I tell you, you must promise me that you won't knock me out and leave me here, and you won't harm him. He's told me a bit about your politics, and I don't want him getting involved in things he chooses to remain separate from."

"You do realize we could locate him without you." The robot pointed out, seeming a little amused at her confidence. "We tracked him this far, it will not be hard pinpointing his location further."

"True." She agreed. "But he's a friend to me, and I don't think he'll be very happy to find out you left me out here in the middle of the desert after we've been through this much together. Besides," She added doing all she could to pinpoint her importance so she wouldn't be left out of the proceedings. "He's the one who got me involved in this, we're both in the same amount of trouble. You leave me here, I'm going to be caught. I really would prefer that didn't happen. I'm not sure how much you know about our military, but they can be very persistent when they want to be. They will be looking for both of us." The robot stared down at her curiously, then shifted it's head slightly to stare to the side. Alexis instinctively sensed that the others were approaching as the ground shook slightly beneath her. She stood her ground, doggedly refusing to show how her heart was pounding nervously in her chest, nor did she take her eyes off that needle. The last thing she wanted was being injected by ANOTHER alien robot. After a moment, however, she didn't have to shift her gaze much to see the others, as they all gathered around her in a circle. She began to feel distinctly claustrophobic, but still refused to move.

"You are friend to the mech who escaped from your government earlier today?" A deep voice reverberated out from the tallest of the five. To her surprise, his voice seemed kind and soothing. Still, she couldn't be sure it was genuine or not, she didn't know them. Unfortunately, she had already revealed what she knew, so she had no choice but to nod in agreement to the robot's question. "Then I assure you upon my word, we pose no threat or wish any harm to befall your companion. Our mission here is to find him and help him." He slowly knelt down closer, his massive head sweeping down towards her, slightly intimidating, but just as fascinating as she observed the intricate workings of his design. "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. We will protect him for as long as he wishes it, and permit him to leave when he desires. We will not act against his wishes."

Alexis was a fairly good judge of character, or so she believed. She instinctively believed Optimus Prime's words when he spoke them. Perhaps it was her logic in knowing her partner that led her to believe robots were logical creatures, or perhaps it was her fear of what might happen if she decided not to trust them, whatever it was, she could either trust them or not. Either way, the result would likely be the same. She held her gaze to his glowing blue eyes, and then nodded once. "All right." She said finally. "But I'll have you know that I trust him before anyone else at this point. If he decides not to trust you, then I'll go with his judgment."

"Understandable."

"Now…" The robot with the needle spoke up, said needle retracting back into his finger with a small click. "Where is he, and what condition is he in?"

"He's back in that cave." Alexis said, turning to point the way. "And I managed to stop his fluids from leaking, but I don't think it's the best job in the world." She peered up at the robot keenly. "You are a medic, aren't you?"

"I am."

"Then please help him. He nearly lost consciousness getting us this far, and he hasn't woke since. I don't know how bad off he is, but even I'm smart enough to know when someone's in bad shape."

The medic stared down at her, optics curious. "You care about him, do you?"

Alexis stiffened a little, defensive about that rather personal question. "I helped him when no one else would. Of course I care."

"Then fear not." Optimus rumbled, drawing her attention back to him. "Ratchet is the best medic in the galaxy, he will do his best."

She watched as the medic, Ratchet, moved into the cave and vanished from view. A tense feeling continued to knot in her chest as she wondered what would happen to her companion. Could these robots be trusted? Would he be angry with her for involving them? He was the paranoid sort, she had learned, and didn't trust many people. Still, he needed their help more than anything at the moment. She felt a wash of exhaustion rush through her, and had to force herself to remain standing. "What will you do with him now?" She asked, wondering if she could risk going to watch the medic work.

"If Ratchet believes he can be safely moved, we will return with him to our headquarters." Optimus Prime rumbled. "You are welcome to accompany us, of course, given your close interaction to him, I would think it lax if we did not continue to involve you. I must ask you one thing, however… do you happen to know his identity?"

Alexis lifted her gaze to study the solemn eyes watching her back. "He said his name is unpronounceable, but he told me that he is a scientist, and he remains neutral in your war."

"Hm." Optimus mused. "Our names are indeed unpronounceable to your language, however most of us choose acceptable acronyms that work. I am surprised he did not do this."

Alexis shrugged slightly. "We never had time to go through and pick something suitable."

"Well, as long as he's not a Decepticon." Growled the black robot with a rather sour look on his facial plating.

"Easy Ironhide. Decepticon or not, no mech should be held against their will. Let us wait until Ratchet gives his report." Optimus soothed, placing a large hand on the black mech's shoulder, soothing him. "Jazz, Bumblebee, go and see if Ratchet needs assistance." The silver mech and the bright yellow mech both split off heading towards the cave, however they were stopped as Ratchet's significant bulk blocked the entrance, bright lights on his shoulders flooding the area with illumination. Optimus looked up at the medic, alert. "What have you discovered?"

"He's stable. What the young woman did probably saved his life." The medic growled, stomping over towards them with a frown. "She tied off his energon lines, and he's running on low supplies as it is. I'll need to get him back to base ASAP and hooked up to some fuel lines before I'm happy. He's received some fairly significant structural damage, though some of it appears to have been repaired by untrained hands." His gaze shifted to Alexis, who flushed indignant at the subtle hint. "However, it will make his repairs easier in the long run." He hesitated, his optics dimming a little as he frowned. "There is something odd about his structure, however. I would like a closer look back at the med-bay before I come to any conclusions…" He glanced at Optimus keenly. "However, his initial structure indicates some kind of jet-mode base."

Optimus lifted an optic ridge, as Alexis recognized a look of surprise on his features. "A jet-mode? Interesting. There seems to be more to our friend than meets the eye."

"That's putting it mildly."

"Can we move him?"

"Yes, though it'll take both you and Ironhide to haul him. He's on the large side."

"Very well. Bring him out and we'll transport him." Optimus turned his head back towards Alexis, kneeling back down. "I would like you to ride with Ratchet so he can run some scans to ensure you are not injured yourself."

"I'm fine." She said with a sigh, running a hand through her rather grimy hair. She probably looked like hell. "I'm just exhausted, dirty and hungry. It's been a very long day."

"Understandable. Still, riding with Ratchet will allow you to gather some sustenance en-route. You can also catch him up on anything relevant to your companion's health."

Alexis sighed, but nodded in agreement. She knew there wasn't a choice, and while she wanted to stay close to her friend, it was clear he wasn't going to be carrying her anywhere soon. She watched as the three smaller mechs carefully bore him out on their shoulders towards the waiting flat-bed pickup and semi-truck arranged side by side. They lowered the mech's prone form down to rest diagonally across the two mech's beds, and then lashed him in place with some kind of flexible wire the medic produced from a storage space in his body. Once he was secured to their liking, Alexis watched with fascination as the other three twisted back down into their vehicle shapes. Ratchet rolled up to her, a door opening of it's own accord as his gruff voice echoed out from inside. "Come on, let's get going, girl."

Alexis frowned, but slid into the interior of the humvee, finding it strange to think she was riding INSIDE an alien craft. Being carried around in a giant hand was one thing, but you would have never known that the humvee was an alien if she hadn't see it with her own eyes. "My name is Agent Alexis Parks, not 'girl', doctor Ratchet." She said firmly.

"My apologies." Came a rather amused response. "Now remain still while I scan you, Agent Alexis Parks."

She smiled slightly, and relaxed a little as the vehicle began to move on it's own. "Just Alexis is fine. Just don't call me 'girl'. That's what Simmons does, and it drives me nuts."

"Simmons?" Came the question as a green light flooded the interior of the vehicle, tickling a little as if she were being placed under some sort of x-ray.

"He was a very irritating Agent I had the misfortune of working with from time to time. Trust me, you'd hate him too."

"Humph." Came the gruff response and the light shut off. "You do not appear to be significantly damaged in any way, however you are significantly deprived of fuel and rest at the moment, and I detect a small amount of metal alloy in your system. Do you have an explanation for that?"

"He did it." She said tiredly, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back against the seat's head rest. "He said it was to be able to communicate with me, which it did. But seeing as you five all seem to be able to use English quite well, I'm a bit confused why he chose that method."

"Hm." Ratchet mused, pulling up a diagram on the display mounted on the dash so she could see as he analyzed his findings. "It is an unusual method, not one I have heard before. I would want to question him as to his reasons for using this process as well. It is possible he did it in order to preserve privacy with someone he could trust, but somehow I think there's more to it than that, considering he didn't supply you with an acronym for his name. Tell me, how did he learn your language in the first place?"

"He plucked it out of my head."

"As I surmised. It's possible his data-transfer system was damaged. Without that he wouldn't be able to access the wireless signals your planet has dancing around our heads like dust mites." Ratchet snorted. "It may be he had to rely on alternate methods to communicate since he could not access your World Wide Web to gather information."

"So that's how you five learned about our languages and vehicles?" Alexis murmured, cracking an eye open to tiredly watch the desert scenery slide by outside as they sped through the open ground at break-neck speed. "You just logged online and downloaded anything you needed?"

"It is a most convenient form of information, one that allows us to be anonymous and gather anything we require."

"Touché." She smiled a little, watching as the desert seemed to meet with the endless expanse of stars spreading above her. "So, dare I ask what brought you here in the first place? I know his story, but that has nothing to do with you."

There was a long pause before Ratchet spoke slowly and carefully. "That I think is something best left for Optimus to explain to you. I would advise you try and gather some rest while you can, we will be traveling most of the night." He fell silent, and Alexis had little choice but to do as he advised. She was able to nap a bit, though the jostling of the humvee was not the best resting place. Therefore when she felt the speed decline, it roused her from her half-sleeping state to open her eyes. All around her were new desert cliffs, tall and straight, glowing golden in the morning sunlight as it spilled over the far ridge and illuminated the most amazing thing she had ever seen.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Complications of Life **

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: This is a re-telling of the movie-verse, given that do not assume any of it happened the same way. I'm writing from scratch with all new secrets. And while certain characters have been included, do not assume end results._

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

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**Chapter Six**

Imbedded into the cliff head-first was what appeared to be a massive ship with obvious engines jutting out. At one glance she knew that this was a ship of unknown make, something entirely alien. The rocks didn't appear to have been displaced around the ship either, which puzzled her. It was as if it had simply slid through the rocks, pushed them aside to make room and stuck there… or that the rocks had moved to make way for the ship, formed around them. Either way, she knew what she was looking at: a space ship. It was of similar design to the one her partner had crash-landed in, only many times it's size. As they drew closer, the ship only seemed to grow larger. A small opening between the rear engines loomed tiny in comparison, still large enough that Optimus Prime would have been able to jump and not brush his head with the ceiling. As Ratchet slowed near the entrance, she caught sight of Optimus Prime and Ironhide paused behind them, her partner still securely strapped to their beds. She reached out through their link to touch his consciousness, and was met with nothing in response. He was still dead to the world. Sighing, she blinked as the door slid open beside her. "Hop out. I'll want to oversee them moving him into the med-bay." She obliged, exiting his interior and stepping back giving him room to transform back into his robot mode. Once he finished he strode over to the waiting pair and began to assist Jazz and Bumblebee as they un-strapped the unconscious mech and lifted him carefully off the beds and up through the entrance. Alexis briefly considered following them, but one glance told her that unless she flat-out ran, she'd never be able to keep pace. Instead, she decided to wait as Optimus Prime and Ironhide finished transforming into their bipedal modes and approached her.

"If you like, we can provide you with a place to rest and clean." Optimus rumbled as he knelt down beside her, Ironhide hovering nearby, watching her with curious blue optics.

"Thank you, but if it's all the same to you I'd rather remain close in case he wakes."

"Of course. I will speak with Ratchet to ensure it is safe for you to do so." A very large hand was lowered down to the ground. "I will bring you there so you may watch the proceedings."

Alexis was hesitant at first, but seeing as she had little other option she finally climbed into the massive palm offered to her and settled herself comfortably in a seated position as Optimus straightened back up to his towering height. It was slightly disconcerting to see the world from this height, but at the same time it matched. Everything here was far larger, and from this vantage point it seemed more normal as Optimus moved through the halls. The craftsmanship was far superior to human crafts, the hallways were smooth silver metal lit by lights imbedded in the ceiling above that brightly lit the passage. There were strange symbols marking the walls at intervals, in their native language she assumed. It reminded her of a blend between Chinese or Japanese Kanji, Braille and binary. There were marks of color along with the writing here and there, but for the most part the ship was very singular without decorations. She saw no one else as they walked, but her ears could pick up the unique language of theirs echoing from down other hallways. "How many others are here with you?" She asked quietly as they walked. "This ship is much too large for just five of you."

"We have a great many here with us." Optimus agreed. "A full ship's compliment of capable mechs."

"And why exactly are you here?" She asked at last, the question having been burning in her head since Ratchet had turned down her request for that very answer.

Optimus' calm gaze lowered to study her with a thoughtful expression. "I am not certain how much you know of our politics, nor how much you wish to know… suffice it to say we are here searching for an important relic that will hopefully allow us to end the war between our two factions."

Alexis blinked. A relic here on earth? "From your planet?" She asked aloud.

"It is. It likely came here long before your people even existed. We were able to trace it's energy signature here, but we cannot yet pinpoint it's location. We have sent teams all over your planet to search for it. Our hope is to find it before the Decepticons realize why we are here in the first place. So far we have managed to lay low… however with your friend's arrival, I begin to wonder if it might draw unwanted attention."

"Maybe." She murmured. "He may have been followed."

"That is our thought as well." Optimus agreed. "We have been scanning the skies for any sign of pursuit since his arrival, fortunately there has not been any yet. However, the Decepticons are also very stealthy. They may find ways to sneak through our search grids."

"So I take it you are the… Autobots?" She said, digging through her memories of what she'd been told. "You're the ones who were in power before the rebellion?"

"That is correct." Optimus agreed. "We were the reigning force on our planet. The Decepticons started their rebellion out of their own desire for change without going through the proper political channels, I'm afraid. Things have been very complicated since."

"I'll bet. Politics usually are." She muttered, running a hand over her face.

"I regret you had to become involved in our affairs. We have made a point not to involve ourselves with your people or reveal ourselves in any way. Up until now we have succeeded with that mission."

"How have you kept anyone from finding this huge craft?" She asked, morbidly curious about how anyone couldn't notice such a huge ship as this, even though it was half-hidden in a cliff.

"When no one needs entrance or exit we project more of the Cliffside around it, much like you saw on the exterior. It is a series of matter-holographic projections. The ship is not physically imbedded in the cliff at all, but rather the cliff is false."

"I see. Well that makes much more sense." She mused, though her head immediately tickled about the idea of a matter-hologram, wondering how it was done, how effective it was, and whether she could take a look at it some time.

However, any thoughts along that tangent were pulled as they abruptly stopped in front of a door with large bold lettering plastered above the door. She had no doubt that it said medical ward, or something like it, for as they entered she saw Ratchet bending over a table where her companion lay prone on his back. Ratchet spared one glance in their direction before going back to meticulously studying the mech before him, muttering in his native tongue as he went, punching in notes to a computer terminal. Optimus waited patiently with Alexis as the medic moved about, until at last he turned to face them both. "How is he?" Optimus asked quietly.

"Stable now." Ratchet agreed, turning to gesture at the various lines with blue fluid attached to the mech. "I've got him on some energon feeds to replenish his fluids. Aside from the damage to his lines, he's not in too bad of shape. There's quite a bit of structural damage still to repair, but at least he's in no immediate danger any more." Ratchet punched up some schematics onto the screen next to them and pointed. "However, as I indicated before, his structure does not match his internals. This mech has been reformatted from his original model, and not very well I might add. Additional panels, struts and parts have been added on top of his old design in order to make him appear different, bigger, and give him a different alt mode. But as I said, the work was not as top of the line, but rather the hands of an amateur."

"You think he was trying to hide who he was?"

"It's possible." Ratchet agreed. "There would be no need to alter one's appearance or alt-form unless he was specifically disguising himself." He shifted a little, his stance suddenly uncomfortable. "There is evidence that he may have been a Decepticon dissenter at one point. His right optic was shattered, but his left semi-intact. It's a red crystal. I'll have to replace both in either case as they're too damaged to provide functionality. But I also discovered that his entire communications' system was basically shredded. It shows evidence of attempts to repair it, and there may have been some basic functionality before his crash-landing, but it's useless now. It'll have to be replaced. In addition, it seems he's been making do solely relying upon his communications system… seeing that his vocalizer is completely missing."

"Missing?" Optimus said, clearly surprised. Alexis frowned, trying to follow the damage report as best she could. If she understood properly, it explained why he had injected her with nanites in order to communicate, if both his vocal and broadcast systems had been disabled. "Did this also happen in the crash?"

"No." Ratchet said grudgingly. "It's very old damage. This happened before his crash."

"Why didn't he have a medic construct a new one?"

"Vocalizers are complex parts. He'd have to go to a surgeon to have one built, and even then the parts are hard to come by especially with the war going on. If he was hiding from being found he wouldn't have access to a medic skilled enough to build one, nor the parts required. I've run into the same problem with Bumblebee, as I lack the parts to properly repair his own vocalizer. It's just too hard to come by rare elements, Optimus. In addition to his communications problems, it's going to take some time to rebuild those wings of his. They've sustained significant damage. I can re-build them thankfully as they're simple parts that I have on hand, but I'm going to have to detach them and strip them. It'll be restructuring it from scratch, essentially, the same goes for that right thruster of his. It'll take some time, but time we do have. What I'm most concerned with is his sub-structure…." He hesitated, staring at the schematics with a puzzled frown.

"What is his sub-structure profile?" Optimus asked, studying the schematics carefully.

"That's just it, I can't be sure. He's had enough alterations that it's very difficult to uncover. He's a jet-type, obviously, but he's far too small to be a shuttle, and too bulky to be a fighter. I'm going to have to study each of his struts individually to see which was added at a later date, and which was his original build before I know what his build is. I've never seen such extensive re-building. It's almost like his original form was damaged badly in addition to the alterations, and the repairs were done to accommodate the injuries as well as a re-design."

"If he was a dissenter, it would make sense. Do what you can, and inform me when he's awake again. Until then, Alexis has requested to remain close. Could you see to her comforts?"

Ratchet glanced at the human with a bit of distain, and Alexis had the distinct feeling he didn't like having to baby-sit a human. "I'll see what I can do, but this is a med-bay Optimus…"

"I understand that. Please see to her. We'll need her help when he awakes, given his lack of communicative ability."

"Yes sir."

Optimus turned his gaze back to Alexis, smiling kindly. "If you require anything we can provide, please let me know."

"Just some food would be nice, but I'm sure you don't have any handy." She smiled wryly.

"We can synthesize some nutrients for you, although I cannot promise it will be to your tastes." Optimus offered. "But it will refuel you."

"That'll be fine. I've eaten worse stuff during my training, I assure you."

Optimus left her alone with her partner and the medic, and Alexis took that time to sit down, resting her weary feet. Ratchet eyed her carefully, wiping his hands free of the shimmering blue liquid that matched the feeds going into her partner. "Well, I cannot provide what you humans seem to prefer for recharge, a bed is it? But I can provide soft material for you to lay down upon if that is to your preference. I'm going to be busy here repairing your friend for some time, so anything you need speak of it now."

"That would be fine. I don't need much right now." She assured him. "I'll just watch." Her gaze shifted back down to the prone mech. "So he'll be all right then, I take it?"

"With some work, yes. He's out of danger, which is the most important thing." Ratchet agreed, gazing down across the battle-worn surface of the unconscious mech. "You did well with what you could to enact repairs on him. I'm sure he owes you his life."

She smiled faintly, too tired to really feel the impact of his words. "When do you think he'll wake up again?"

"I'll keep him in stasis until the majority of repairs are finished, which will take several orns…." He mused. "Ah… put in your time table, it won't be for a few days that I would feel comfortable letting him wake."

Alexis felt a bit relieved knowing this. It meant she could rest and relax herself without fear of missing anything. "Good." She murmured. "He deserves a break after everything he's gone through. I feel so bad he had to suffer at my government's hands, whether that was their intention or not."

"Hmph." Ratchet snorted, grabbing a few soft foam pieces and placing them beside her on the table where she sat, raised above his work surface so she could watch the proceedings below. "Your government is much like ours was once… there is many similarities that I see. While you are not yet as technologically advanced as we, you have interesting elements to your species that I as a medic find fascinating."

"Funny, you sound a lot like him." She smiled, nodding to her partner.

Ratchet spared the mech a scrutinizing gaze, taking in the sharp features staring blankly at the ceiling. "Interesting. I suppose scientists and medics have similar interests. However I would not have violated your trust by forcibly injecting you without your consent as he did."

"I don't hold that against him. It wasn't as if he COULD explain." She pointed out. "He did what he had to."

"And dragged you into a complex situation where now your own government likely considers you a fugitive and traitor."

"Yeah." She agreed quietly. "Can't argue there. But given the choice of not knowing anything about extra-terrestrial robots from a distant planet and having a cozy life, or being involved… I would choose the same path any day of the week."

Ratchet smiled at that, a more kind expression filtering over his gruff exterior. "You are a very unique spirit. I can see you would fight well in battle, yet you have the kindness of empathy that might make you a good medic."

"Thank you, I guess." Alexis smiled, then moved over to the foam padding that he'd lain down. "I'm going to get some rest. You'll wake me if there's any significant change?"

"Of course." Ratchet said solemnly. "I can see you care deeply about him. You will know if there is anything worth knowing. Rest well."


	7. Chapter 7

**The Complications of Life**

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: This is a re-telling of the movie-verse, given that do not assume any of it happened the same way. I'm writing from scratch with all new secrets. And while certain characters have been included, do not assume end results._

_Forgive the slowness of updates. I have just gotten a brand-new mac, and had to deal with some complications of how to write and edit without having to run windows all the time. It's a bit of a bugger, but I'm getting used to it. Anywho, I'm going to attempt to update more often again._

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

**Chapter Seven**

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Amazingly, Alexis slept solidly. One would have thought snoozing in an alien med-bay under bright lights would have been disconcerting, but it did not bother her one bit. She woke feeling alert, refreshed and rested. As she rolled over, the smell of something akin to oatmeal assaulted her senses. She squinted down and saw a large bowl of something very much like it sitting beside her. There was no spoon, but that hardly stopped her. She sat up and glanced over towards the medic seeing him hard at work with his back to her. She took that time to scoop the food into her mouth. Optimus hadn't been far off when he said it was not to her liking. It tasted like cardboard and water, but her rumbling stomach was satiated after the first few mouthfuls, forcing her to make her way through the rest of the bowl until she was full. She wiped her hand on her pant leg, grimacing at noticing how dusty and filthy she was.

"I see you are rejuvenated." She lifted her head to spot Ratchet glancing over at her from the table. She smiled knowing he must have scanned her. "I thought you might like to clean up, and prepared an area for you to bathe." He nodded his head and she glanced behind her to see a curtain draped over a pile of small boxes with steam coming out from behind it. "I regret that we do not have replacement garments for you, but I have provided you with clensing agents to wash your existing garments if you desire." A glance down at her dusty boots told her she was making marks all over the top of his table, which brought a smile to her face. He was concerned about dirt was he? How amusing.

"Thank you Ratchet." She said, holding her mirth within.

"If you need anything else, I will be here."

"Thank you Ratchet."

His optics narrowed. "You may wish to scrub the table when finished."

"Yes Ratchet."

He studied her a moment more, then snorted and returned to his detailed work. She couldn't help but grin. Despite how different these robots were from humans, there were nuances that transgressed all boundaries. Ratchet was a neat freak. Shaking her head, Alexis ducked behind the curtain and began to disrobe, dumping her clothes on the ground and then climbing inside the large bowl of steaming water. It was hot, almost too hot, but bearable. She sunk down to her chin, sighing in relief as the hot water tingled around her, and simply sat there enjoying it until it became uncomfortable, then she began to scrub the dirt off her. Ratchet had provided her with a few rough cloths that worked well to rub the grime, and some clensing agents that smelled like disinfectant, but at least did better to clean her hair than plain water. Once she was satisfied with her hygine, she slipped out and dunked her clothes in the now murkey water, and put them through the same rigorous clensing ritual. When done, she pulled her undergarments back on, thankful that military issue came with both top and bottom elements, and hung her thicker canvas coveralls over the edge of the curtain before stepping out. She knew in the desert her light cotton top and khaki cotton boxers would dry quickly. It was comfortable enough in here for her to walk barefooted on the table, and she doubted that robots had the same nuances about clothing that humans had, therefore was not disturbed to parade around in her undergarments.

Ratchet was still working, but one glance told her that her partner was in better shape than he had been before. Several damaged pieces of armor had been repaired, and many others removed entirely to show polished but worn pieces of a brighter silver beneath. She assumed this was his old armor, something of what the two had been discussing before. He did appear much less bulky, and the pile of armor in the corner of Ratchet's lab showed her just how much the medic had removed. She sat on the table, watching as he carefully moved along a seam at the mech's back, seeing as he'd been turned onto his front side, and then pulled something free. The entire wing that had been attached to his back separated from it's seam, latches and struts having been removed so the piece came away easily. Ratchet eyed it speculatively and then placed it in the pile with the rest. "That should do it." He muttered, rolling the mech back over onto his back with easy now that the bulky wings had been removed. "Now I just have to fix the damn things."

"How's the repairs going?" She asked, finding it strange to gaze down at the rather unfamiliar visage of her partner. Without the additional armor and wings he appeared an entirely different mech. The bulky part of his helmet also had been removed, revealing a streamlined and less severe face. It was scarred with deep scratches and silver marks that revealed welds to rends had been repaired long ago, but it was far less severe than the hawk-like mask had been. The only part remaining now was the mouthpiece covering his lower face. Even the red crystal that had been covering his eyes had been removed, giving him a dark haunted look without the facits protecting his optics. He appeared an entirely different being.

"Fairly well." Ratchet muttered. "I've finished removing the excess parts and the damaged ones. Now all I have to do is reconstruct what's missing and replace it."

"How long will that take?"

"Quite some time." He grumbled. "However, I feel fairly confidant that it will be safe to bring him out of stasis, seeing as I've disconnected his survos so he can't jump off the table. I'd like to speak with him as well to get a better idea of how to start repairs, given I'm not yet certain of his sub-structure mode." He glanced up at her. "Once his energy levels are back to green, I'll pull him out of stasis." He studied her a moment as she watched the offline mech on the table. "Did he say anything to you about himself? I'd like SOMETHING to go on… a name, a location, anything you can give me to do some tracing on who he is."

She shook her head slowly. "I can't, I'm sorry. He didn't give me any specifics, only that he'd been studying us for some time, doing research not far from here. He'd been hit by some battle fire and had to warp out of his location, and crashed here. I'm not sure if that helps any…"

"Unfortunately it doesn't give us much. Most of our database on scientists has always been incomplete. I can give Wheeljack a buzz to see if he knows anything that might help, but likely we won't find out anything until he wakes."

"Why is it so important to find out who he is?"

Ratchet hesitated, frowning as he stared down at the mech with a blank unreadable expression. "Let's just say I have my suspicions. And if I'm right, it could mean trouble."

Alexis frowned, not liking how her partner was being spoken about. But then, she knew so little about their politics, and only knew what she'd heard from the mech herself, that she couldn't make any judgements yet. "I can't presume to speak for him, but I'm sure he doesn't mean anyone harm."

"Likely." Ratchet agreed. "I analyzed his weapons systems. He has one standard cannon, issue most of us have these days, and also two other weapons systems specifically designed to disable his opponant without significant damage. Both systems are of a design I've never seen before, and are not standard or even common useage."

The door abruptly opened to their right, drawing both gazes as Optimus Prime entered. "Status report?" He inquired, nodding one to Alexis as he stopped at Ratchet's side.

"He's stable and I've removed all the damaged parts." Ratchet re-itereated to him.

"Any indication as to his identity yet?"

Ratchet frowned, hesiatating as he had moments earlier when speaking with Alexis about the very same thing. "I have some ideas, but nothing confirmed until we know his name, I'm going to wager."

"Give me what you have." Optimus instructed, folding his arms as he stared down at the computer console."

"Very well." Ratchet sighed. "But I'm not certain you'll like it." He turned to the console and pulled up a schematic of the mech currently laying on the berth beside them. "As you can see, I've separated out the areas that show older wear and the newer sub-structure that I've determined was installed at a later date. You can see that much of it overlaps, and it's clear that this was done co-inciding a massive repair to his body. I haven't been able to uncover why he would need such a repair, as most of the work is adaquetly done, if poorly constructed, it did at least cover up whatever signs that might have told us why he needed this repair in the first place. Needless to say, most of his structure was re-inforced by this repair, and his alt-form altered as well as his external bipedal form. By looking at the original sub-structure, you can get a feel for what kind of mech he was prior to his reconstruction."

Optimus leaned forward, studying the design. "It isn't a common schematic." He mused at last. "I've seen a few different fliers' schematics, and his seems vaguely familiar…"

"But you can't quite put a finger on why?" Ratchet asked, his voice deadly serious. "I can tell you why." Optimus and Alexis looked at him expectantly. "Our friend here was a Seeker at one point."

Optimus blinked, obviously surprised. "A Seeker?" He turned and studied the design. "Yes… you are right. I can see the similarities. His size is about right… but as far as I know, all the Seekers were employed by the Decepticon fleets, or killed."

"And you would be correct." Ratchet agreed, frowning as he regarded the schematic. "There are only three recorded Seekers that we recorded having survived the attack on Kaon, and I believe you know who those three are." Optimus frowned, nodding. "One of them is dead, supposedly." Ratchet added as an afterthought. "And as far as I know, the other two haven't taken a liking to playing dress-up."

"Ratchet…" Optimus said slowly, fixing the medic with a firm gaze. "Do you have a guess on what we're dealing with?"

The medic fixed him with a firm stare. "I never was one to believe in ghosts, Optimus. But if I didn't know better, I'd say we're looking at a dead mech."

Optimus sighed, placing a hand to his chin in thought as he transferred his gaze to the sleeping mech on the table. "Well… this is quite the interesting situation."

"Indeed."

Alexis had remained quiet through the entire conversation, left wondering what they were talking about. It was odd feeling so out of the loop, when here she thought she knew more about him than the others did. Apparently, as it seemed, she had been wrong. She stared at the schematics in silence, not able to imagine what they were seeing out of the mess of struts, wires and fuel lines. But then, she never had professed to being an engineer.

"We cannot confirm this until he wakes." Optimus said, sighing heavily. "But it would make things very interesting if our hypothesis is correct."

"It raises more questions than it answers." Ratchet muttered.

"Can you wake him safely at this point? I think rather than spinning our processors trying to determine if we are correct or not, we should give him the chance to speak for himself."

"I can." Ratchet said with a frown. "But I don't want to keep him up too long and risk straining his systems. I've only just gotten them stabilized, and if he starts getting upset over what we're asking him, I'm going to put him back under. Also…" He glanced up at Alexis meaningfully. "He will have to speak through her, at least until I can repair his data processing unit and his vocalizer, which will not be a quick fix."

"I understand. Still, I would like to at least confirm his identity." Optimus said. "Wake him, please."

Ratchet moved silently to the mech's side, grabbed a needle from the table nearby and carefully injected it's contents into the mechs' neck where thick cables ran. He withdrew the needle after a moment, and seconds later the mech's optics flickered to life, glowing white and light spilling out brighter than it should be, thanks to the lack of focusing crystals. Ratchet put a restraining hand on the mech's shoulder just in case he decided to attempt to sit up. "Easy there. I've had to remove your focusing crystals, so everything will be blurry. You're in a med-bay. I am your medic, Ratchet, and you are speaking with Optimus Prime." Alexis felt the grogginess spreading through their bond, felt his confusion. There was no fear there, but she also sensed a diminished sense of pain and guessed whatever Ratchet had pumped into him contained a pain-killer which dulled his processor as well as his suffering. She sent a warm thought through the link, letting him know that she was there nearby. She felt a faint touch in response, as the mechs' head turned slightly towards her direction, sensing where she was. "Your friend Alexis helped us locate you. She'll have to speak for you until I can finish your repairs, but we would like to ask you a few questions before letting you go back to resting." The mech turned his head back towards the two Autobots, and after a long moment, dipped his head into a faint nod. "Good." Ratchet glanced up to Optimus. "He's all yours."

Optimus leaned forward so the mech could better distinguish the red and blue blurrs that probably was all he could discern for the moment. "First, I would like to assure you that you are our guest, and we will do all we can to repair you. No matter what you tell us, this shall not change. Do you understand?" The mech nodded groggily. "Good. You are here as long as you need our services. But we need to know if anyone followed you to this planet that you are aware of."

Alexis felt the tingle along their link that told her he was about to communicate, and she opened up her mind to assist him, feeling the drugs affecting his ability to think clearly. He was still able to produce a response, however. _I was not followed… that I know of._

She relayed that answer to them, and Optimus nodded in acceptance. "We have not tracked anyone as of yet, but we wanted to investigate all options." He paused before continuing. "We uncovered some incontinuities with your substructure that brought up a few questions. I believe you know what it is we are speaking of." The mech grimaced faintly, but nodded. "We need to know your identity. Can you provide us with an Earth equivalent to your name?"

This time, Alexis could FEEL the grimace through the link. There was a subtle sense of grudging acceptane, a twinge of regret, and a small bit of resigned depression, before his words filtered through to her. _I need to know something from them… I need their word that they will not throw me in the brig, press me for information I am not willing to give, or treat me as an enemy if I provide them with my name._

She lifted an eyebrow, but passed along his request. Optimus glanced at Ratchet, and Alexis had the distinct feeling that their suspicions had just been confirmed. However, Optimus spoke gently. "You have my word. I promised you that no matter what you reveal to us, you will remain a patient and guest, and be permitted to leave when you desire, given Ratchet's medical approval. Nothing you tell us will change this, upon my word as Prime."

Alexis felt a slight twinge of respect through the link at that declaration, but the feeling of walls closing in suddenly surrounded her through their bond. He was regretting the necessity of revealing himself to them… but there was no other option. _Very well… _Came the reluctant reply. _Tell them that my name is best translated to: Starscream._


	8. Chapter 8

**The Complications of Life**

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: This is a re-telling of the movie-verse, given that do not assume any of it happened the same way. I'm writing from scratch with all new secrets. And while certain characters have been included, do not assume end results. _

_Apologies on the lateness of this chapter. I was in a writers block for a while… despite this story is written nearly to it's end I was just being lazy and not reviewing it to post more :p_

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

**Chapter Eight**

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The name meant nothing to her, but she found it oddly fitting. It was a fierce name, and there was a sharp edge to him which matched it. However, she was not lax in her duty, as she lifted her gaze to the waiting Autobots, and relayed his name.

Both of them blinked, turning the name over and probably running comparisons to their own language to properly identify him. It didn't take long, as they exchanged knowing looks. Alexis knew their suspicions had been confirmed. "Thank you." Optimus said gently, placing a light hand on the mechs' shoulder. "I will not burden you with further questions at this point and allow you to rest. I assure you that this information will not leave this room until you insist otherwise." Optimus added. The mech visibly relaxed, and Alexis felt the relief flood through the bond at that promise. "Now rest. We will speak later when you are well."

Ratchet glanced down at the silent mech, glancing once to Alexis to ensure he wasn't about to add anything, before injecting another syringe's contents into a fuel line. It wasn't long before the mech's optics flickered dimly and finally died out, the bond falling dormant again as his consciousness slipped away from Alexis' mind. "Well." Ratchet said, once the mech was safely in stasis. "I'm not quite certain what to think."

"It is a very peculiar situation." Optimus mused. "I will have to do some additional research."

"I'll work on him. Now that I know his build it'll be easier, knowing what I'm rebuilding. But Optimus… if word of this gets out to anyone…"

"I know." Optimus agreed, fixing his gaze over to Alexis. "I must ask you to hold his name to yourself for now. I realize you don't understand the full implications, but I can assure you if word gets out of his identity, it could cause issues."

Alexis frowned, but nodded. "I understand. I just wish I knew what it was you all know." She gazed down at him with a suddenly empty feeling aching in her heart. Why was it any time she thought she got to know someone, they turned out to be more than they appeared? First men, now alien robots. It wasn't fair.

Optimus watched her with an understanding expression. "I can sympathize with your position. However, I cannot authorize telling you anything about him without clearing it with him first. He chose to hide his identity even from others who might recognize him, and it was merely coincidence that we uncovered the truth. Until he gives permission or tells you himself, I would rather not violate his privacy. My apologies."

She shook her head. "I understand. It's just frustrating that's all."

"I can see that more comfortable accommodations are arranged for you in the meantime. Bumblebee has been assisting Wheeljack in altering one of our spare rooms for your own use. He also volunteered to take you to the nearest town, or wherever you need to go in order to gather supplies."

"I think I'll take him up on that offer, thanks." With one more glance towards the now sleeping form of her friend, she glanced to Ratchet who was watching them solemnly. "You'll let me know when he wakes up, or if anything else happens?"

"Of course."

* * *

The room provided to her was definitely much larger than she needed, having of course been designed for a full sized mech. However, Wheeljack had done well in making some alterations to suit her. The large recharge berth that served for the mechs' beds had been lowered to serve for a nice ceiling, a curtain hung around it, with soft foam lain down within a box that suspiciously reminded her of a large Petri dish. They had crafted a rather large but adequate wash basin for her, as well as a working shower. Her request for a waste-disposal unit definitely didn't take the shape she'd preferred, but after a little experimentation she decided it would do the job well enough for now. She'd educate them on the art of building toilets at a later date. A suitable desk and chair had been built for her, though she had nothing to do with it yet. It was all very courteous of them, and she found herself liking the Autobot's form of hospitality more and more. The reminded her strongly of the same military structure she was used to, though still maintained the feeling of a family unit of sorts.

Once she was familiar with her room, she commed Bumblebee thanks to the handy data-pad she'd been given containing all the Autobot's com channels. Bumblebee, as she'd been warned, had a damaged vocalizer and couldn't verbally reply to her, however with the data pad she could receive his replies via text. The yellow mech met her at her quarters only a few minutes after she texted him. "Hey, thanks for doing this." She said, smiling up at him as he knelt down, offering a hand to her with a soft chirp. "I just hope I've got enough cash to last me a while."

Her data-pad beeped, and she dutifully glanced down at it to see Bumblebee's message blinking at her. _Can you not return to your place of residence?_

"No." She said with a sigh. "That's the first place the government will have checked. At least I know that my cat will be taken care of, Tom always was a sucker for animals. But they'll have it under surveillance in case I return, and they'll have tagged my credit cards and bank account so anywhere I withdraw money, they'll be on me quickly. Unless you take me halfway across the state to lead them off track, anywhere I use my cards to get cash will tip them off as to where I am. I'd rather NOT risk that, even at the expense of my comfort. I'll just have to make do for now."

_Wheeljack can readily synthesize sustenance that will keep you functioning._

"Oh yes, I'm sure he can." She grimaced. "But given what I've heard from hints some of you guys have dropped, I'm not sure I'd trust my taste buds to him."

_You may not have a choice. If your government truly desires to apprehend you, you may be taking refuge with us for some time._

"This I know." She muttered. "Thanks Bumblebee, I'll do what I can. I think clothing and some basic hygiene supplies are my priority, as well as some special items I can splurge on. Other than that, I'll make do with whatever I can."

Bumblebee was ever the cordial chaperone. Having the data-pad seemed to energize him greatly. Alexis could sympathize, not being able to speak was something her partner had suffered through. The Autobot however was an entirely different companion than her partner, Starscream. He was quite inquisitive, and spent most of their journey asking her about human culture and the like. She answered his curiosity, but didn't reciprocate. After learning what little she had earlier, she was uncertain just what she should ask, and what she shouldn't. Her best bet was to wait and ask Starscream himself, to avoid making any grievous mistakes.

Yet, it didn't help ease her mind.

By the time they returned, the sun had set and Alexis was ready to retreat to the solitude of her own quarters with a head full of questions.

She didn't sleep well that night.

* * *

The following morning, Alexis woke feeling refreshed, though with a strange nagging in the back of her head. She sent a brief thought out, and received no response, deciding her companion must be in a semi-conscious state. She pushed the nagging aside, burying it beneath her own problems as she got up to wash up. She was beginning to appreciate picking up a pair of cheap jeans and a t-shirt, as her coveralls seemed far too hot for the temperate interior of the Autobot's ship. She finished washing and followed the empty knowing sensation in her stomach towards the Autobot galley for breakfast.

Most of them were on their own schedules. They didn't have a set 'day' or 'night' from what she understood of their planet and it's timetables. Each mech was on a shift, slept when they were off shift, relaxed in their spare time, and rotated shifts now and then to get daytime or nighttime off. As she entered, there were only a few unfamiliar faces scattered about the room, enjoying their own cubes as they chatted quietly among themselves. She went largely unnoticed, making her way to the shelving Wheeljack had installed for her, containing several jars of entirely unappealing slop that was vaguely reminiscent of oatmeal, but tasted twice as bad. She choked her way through it, trying to imagine it tasted far better than it was, as she observed the other mechs in the room, comparing them to the list on her data-pad. There was Red Alert, the security officer in the corner by himself, Bluestreak who was listed as an expert gunner and foot soldier sitting with a red and yellow mech, all of whom seemed to share similar exo-traits. Pulling up their profiles, she discovered why. The three of them all had Lamborghini alternate modes. Interesting choice. The only other person in here was a mech by the name of Mirage who seemed about as interested in what was going on as she, his optics trained on the threesome in the corner, energon cube empty on his table as he idly traced it's rim with a finger. Unfortunately she had no clue what was so interesting, as they were all speaking in their native tongue. Therefore, she finished her meal as quickly as she could before finally departing, heading towards the med-bay once more.

Upon entry, she was greeted to a loud cacophony of screeching metal on metal, sparks flying wildly all over the place, landing with a hiss on the floor. Cringing, she quickly made her way up onto the table out of the way of the sparks, and cast her eyes down at the scene below. Ratchet had one hand firmly splayed across the mech's back, the other had transformed into a very large and very sharp round saw, which was currently hacking away at a deep section of metal across the prone mech's back. It looked VERY painful. She touched on the link, and found his consciousness dim and distant. If he was awake, he was heavily sedated. She sat down, and watched as Ratchet worked. It took him a good long time to finally rend the piece of plating off of the mech's back, but finally it came away with a loud snap, and the sparks ceased flying as Ratchet raised his blast-shield over his face and studied it intently. "Humph." He muttered. "No wonder. Useless piece of scrap." He tossed the piece aside carelessly, and peered down at the workings that had been uncovered. "Now, let's see what's causing that kink… Ah here we are." He reached in with nimble fingers and began to pull and twist, obviously after something in particular. When finally something snapped, he grunted and pulled his hand out carefully, revealing a very sharp piece of metal that didn't match the color of his patient in the least. It was a dark navy blue, nearly black shard of something wickedly dangerous looking. "Now just how long have you been carrying THAT around in you I wonder." Ratchet muttered, examining the item with interest. "Mark four dart… inject capability spent. And I do believe I recognize it's signature. Lucky fragger… this could have done far worse than pinch a line." He carefully rolled the mech back onto his back before tossing the object into a metal tray not far from where Alexis sat, then started as he lay his optics upon her. "Alexis! Primus alive, girl… announce yourself next time! I could have damaged you carelessly."

"You were doing fine." She promised, smiling at his concern. "What was that you found?"

"That?" He pointed at the dart. "It's a projectile weapon meant to pierce armor, inject it's victim with a paralysis agent, and take them out swiftly. How long it's been pinching one of his main energon lines I can only guess, but trust me he's better off without it."

She lifted an eyebrow, studying the long wicked-looking dart with interest. It was sharp enough she felt she could have used it to etch her name into a glass surface, despite being corroded around the tip from wherever it had been imbedded all this time. "Is that why you hacked of half his armor?"

"Hah." Ratchet snorted, pointing at the piece he'd discarded. "That? It was poor armor to begin with, only third-grade scrap. I'd have pulled it off anyway, but it was faster to cut it apart in pieces. He'll need a whole new armor set anyway, that stuff is worthless in a battle."

She peered down at the prone form of her partner, idly curious. Ratchet had been hard at work all right. All the damaged parts were gone now, and most of his armor had been completely removed, right down to exposing all his piping and wires. It was just as detailed as the anatomy of a human might be with all the muscles, nerves and bones exposed. She could see similar layers, from the sturdy silver supports of his struts, to the flexible metal piping and cables that twisted around each limb. Each arm was exposed so that she could see the weapons mounted dormant inside his arms, folded back waiting to be initiated should he need them. However, what drew her attention the most was a bright light pulsing from his chest, shining through a chamber situated in the center, right where a human heart might be. "What's that?" She asked, curiously leaning forward to get a better glimpse. It was a small metal chamber with varying sizes of cracks running all over its surface allowing light to shine through, bright white and nearly as blinding as a supernova. It was entrancing, and she felt a strange shiver run down her back, realizing that it had to be something important, considering how it was buried beneath layers of plating and would have been completely hidden beneath the armor ordinarily.

"That?" Ratchet glanced at what had caught her eye. "Ah." He smiled a little. "That, would be his spark."

"Spark?"

"It is our equivalent to what you might consider a heart. It's what keeps us functioning, although it's far more than that." Ratchet mused, watching the light dance off the reflective metal protecting it. "A mech's spark is not only our life-force, but our wills, our consciousness. Without it, you could animate a body, but it would have no individual free will or directive. It would simply be a drone programmed to do certain things, even will a full working processor it would not think for itself. Our sparks are what make us sentient. We are nothing but empty shells without one." He turned his head back to regard her with solemn blue eyes. "You might call it our soul, as well. It is the spark of life. You humans use the term metaphorically, for us it is a physical reality."

Alexis blinked, a bit taken aback. Certainly she knew they were sentient beings, but the thought about how that sentience operated hadn't tickled her mind yet. It could have been easy to just think of them as advanced robots with brains programmed to be as sophisticated as a human's, but now she saw there was more to it than that. Even the most super-advanced computer was just that, a computer. Seeing the light spilling in random pulses from Starscream's chest made her realize that like humans, these people had their own unique form of life. "It's quite beautiful." She murmured. "What does it look like? Is it just concentrated energy?"

"Something of the sort." Ratchet agreed. He hesitated a moment, then held a hand out. "I don't believe he would protest you having a look. I will show you, but you will want to shield your eyes. Here." He handed her a thick piece of glass from somewhere off to the side. It was dark, nearly opaque, and she recognized it as a form of one-way glass. "You'll want to use that, else you could end up blinded." Trusting his judgment, she lifted the glass up, a bit dismayed she could see nothing through it's dark surface, but not wishing to risk peeking to satisfy her curiosity at the risk of her vision. Ratchet leaned forward towards the sleeping mech's chest, transformed his index finger into a tool and made some adjustments to the plating surrounding the glowing light. After a few moments, Alexis was instantly glad he had insisted on the protective glass, for the light that spilled out was brilliant beyond measure. She still had to squint as the brilliance caused her retina's to ache, but the glass diffused enough of it for her to get a good look at the spark. It was like a tiny sun. There was a concentrated focus of energy gathered at the center, fading in intensity towards the exterior. She could see small spikes of something akin to lightning flickering out striking the walls in regular intervals, sending blue light skittering up the metal into who knew where. The entire process reminded her of the balls science teachers had in class, filled with electricity that made your hair stand on end. "Wow." She murmured softly. "That is something all right."

"Indeed it is." Ratchet agreed, peering down himself. "Especially this one."

"Why is that?"

"Notice the color?" She nodded, staring at the burning bright golden center, but not seeing any change. "Most mechs possess blue sparks. There are very rare instances that I have seen those of other colors, but it is very infrequent."

"What does it mean?"

"Who knows." Ratchet mused. "I have seen a case where the color had changed due to severe damage, crippling the mech. There was another case where an explosion with unstable chemicals changed the color of all the technicians sparks, and made them fairly frail. But I cannot begin to fathom why Starscream would have such a spark." He hesitated, then leaned forward closer, stopping his lecture. "Curious… this could be the reason." He reached forward with a needle-thin tool, carefully slipping it within the chamber and tracing a small hairline crack riding up the wall of the chamber.

"Damage?" She guessed, spotting more of the cracks all around the casing. It was more visible from the outside, as the inside appeared to have been welded smoothly in place. There were wider gaps towards the top and bottom, gaping holes were more appropriate. It seemed no matter how well the smaller rends had healed, there was nothing to be done about the larger ones.

"Damage." Ratchet agreed solemnly, withdrawing his tool. "Old damage… and very dangerous damage. I'm surprised he survived it." He carefully replaced the plates, pulling them back into position, and Alexis' vision danced with bright spots as she lowered the glass, blinking to try and rid the burning image left on her retinas. "Spark chamber damage is the most critical of all injuries, aside from neural processor damage perhaps. Spark chambers are heavily protected for a reason, you have only one. If that one is destroyed, you cannot replace it with another, as usually the mech is long dead. Without a functioning spark chamber, the energy within the spark cannot be filtered into the rest of the body, and will overload the systems, discharging it's own energy far too fast, and spend it all before it can be stopped. Sparks disintegrate that way. A spark chamber protects the spark from escaping, channels the energy to be used, and protects it's precious life."

Alexis winced. "He's been through quite a bit then…" She murmured.

"War does that to one." Was the solemn response. "And knowing his history, I think he's very lucky to be alive at all." Alexis frowned, fixing Ratchet with an irritated glance, one that the mech caught the meaning to immediately. "Don't stare at me like that, girl." He growled irritably. "Educating you on sparks is one thing, prying into a patient's personal life is another. You will have to ask him."

"How is it fair that you all know more about him than me." She grumbled, jumping off of the medic's hand to take her place back on the table. "You could at least tell me some basics."

"Even the basics are classified material even to Autobots." Ratchet said grumpily. "Not everyone knows his story. Now stop sulking and let me get to work."


	9. Chapter 9

**The Complications of Life**

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: This is a re-telling of the movie-verse, given that do not assume any of it happened the same way. I'm writing from scratch with all new secrets. And while certain characters have been included, do not assume end results. _

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

**  
**

Resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to share anything with her, Alexis sat in silence watching as Ratchet began attaching cables and cords, doing patches between lines and running cables to and from the computer console behind him. It was intricate work, and she could only guess what all he was doing, but as she watched, she felt a tickle of awareness growing stronger at the back of her head, and waited patiently as her partner slowly began to regain consciousness. Ratchet was too busy to notice, shaving down the ends of a thin blue plate that he held between tweezers. However, when he turned back to address his patient, he noticed the lit optics. "Ah, you're awake." He stated, leaning over to look the mech in the face. "Good. I need you to hold very still while I replace this." He waved the blue glass before the mech's vision. "You'll be able to see properly once I'm done."

_Is that what I think it is?_ Came the groggy question into Alexis' mind before she could connect exactly WHAT it was.

_I think it's your new eyes._

_Frag. _

Alexis wasn't quite sure what his protest was, but didn't inquire further, feeling his irritation with a tinge of humiliation trickle through the link. She thought about it, and came to one conclusion. All the Autobots had blue optics, and he had possessed red when he had arrived here. Obviously, therein lay the issue. As to why he had problems with the color change, she decided that could wait until he was in a better mood.

He held still as requested as Ratchet worked, and after minutes of tedious work, the medic leaned back. "There. How's that?"

Alexis watched as the mech blinked, testing out his new eyes, shifting from focusing on the medic to her position and back. _Fragging wonderful._ Was the dryly sarcastic response. She smiled a bit, unable to hide her amusement through the link, which only further served to irritate him. "He says he loves them."

Ratchet lifted an optic ridge. "Really now." He murmured, glancing down to find a glare returned up at him. "I'm sure he does." He tossed the tools aside then gestured. "Ok. Up you go. Let's test out your main functions." The mech hesitated, but with some straining managed to sit up with Ratchet's assistance. Each limb was tested, arms rotated, legs flexed and Ratchet ran his nimble fingers along the key points in his body that supported his bulk. "It'll do." Ratchet finally announced, turning to face him. "I think you're fit to move about, but I want you staying in the med-bay for now at least until I have your armor back on. I'm sure you don't want to trip and rip a line either, so it's in your best interest to stay put."

The mech glanced down at his exposed wiring, and made a disgusted face. _I'm fragging' naked._

Alexis hid another smile, but was finding it increasingly difficult to hold back the mirth trickling down the link. He shot her a dirty glare, but sighed and nodded in acceptance to the medics' terms. "Good." Ratchet humphed. "Now, I have a few… personal questions I need answered." He glanced over at Alexis, his face somber. "My apologies, but this is patient-doctor confidentiality." And with that, he switched to their native tongue and began rapidly speaking. Alexis frowned with frustration watching as her partner nodded or shook his head at intervals to the questions placed to him. At one point, Ratchet said something that made the mech's head snap around to stare intently at her with his newly installed piercing blue eyes. They held gazes for a moment before he directed his attention back to the medic, and continued their conversation. When finally they were done, the medic turned his back on them, busying himself with something in the room adjacent to the main section of the med-bay.

Alexis smiled over towards her partner, studying him as he studied her. "So." She finally said. "Starscream is your name?"

_Yes._ He replied sullenly, optics averting.

"And you seem to be quite notorious from what I've seen."

_That is likely._

"You know, they refuse to tell me a thing about you. I seem to be one of the only ones in the dark here, and it's very frustrating."

He fixed her with a pointed stare before answering. _You wouldn't understand most of it anyway, why are you so insistent?_

"Because I'm curious. You've got quite a reputation. Enough that they suspected who you were before you confirmed it, and they had to promise you they wouldn't lock you up if you told them the truth. That tells me several things." She stuck her fingers out, counting them down as she went. "One, you were against them at some point either as an enemy or something. Two, you knew that they weren't going to react favorably, and three, it's enough that you had to disguise yourself and hide from everyone. Now, granted I know little about your war, but it's not hard to draw conclusions." She frowned, leaning forward. "Who exactly are you?"

Starscream's face turned taught, his facial plates freezing in a slight grimace as he stared at her with an unreadable expression. _You are very persistent._

"I always have been. Everyone else here seems to know. All I ask is that you catch me up so I know what I'm dealing with here. After all, I think you owe me for helping you multiple times by now. And what will it hurt? I'm just a human, I'm not going to go around shouting it to all the newspapers."

He grimaced again, shooting her an irritated look. _You are insufferable._

"Thank you."

His optics lost their focus for a moment, as he glanced over his shoulder at the medic, then returned his gaze to her. _If you truly insist on knowing…_

"I would like to know from your perspective."

He sighed, obviously not at all pleased with her request, but seeming to sense that he wasn't going to be able to convince her otherwise. _Very well. I should warn you, you may not like what you hear._

_That's fine._ She thought back at him, switching to private chatter to help him open up more, which was also helped by the fact Ratchet was busy elsewhere.

He was silent for a while before starting. _You know of the war between the two factions that has virtually all but destroyed our home world. You know a little about each faction by now, the Autobots with whom we are taking refuge, and the Decepticons who started the conflict with their rebellion. What you perhaps don't know is the reasoning behind each faction. The Autobots wanted to keep the status quo, not one that was favorable to all mechs I might add, but one that did generally keep peace. The Decepticons however were the disgruntled groups of mechs who got the shaft, as you might say. The Autobots managed to piss off enough of their own to create the faction due to their own ineptitude. Had things been managed better, the Decepticons never would have rebelled._

She nodded a little, understanding the back story. This was how wars started, even for aliens it seemed. A group dissatisfied with the status quo decided something needed to be done. If they won, they were Rebels, if they lost they were terrorists.

_My involvement is a complicated story to which I will not delve into. Needless to say, I joined the Decepticons for my own reasons, believing their cause was just. I was ambitious and not afraid to do what I had to in order to move through the ranks. Not long after I was recruited I became Air Commander, and not long after that I became Megatron's 2__nd__ in command._

A cold feeling swept through her. Second in command? She had the sneaking suspicion before that he had been on the opposite side as the Autobots, given the hints dropped by the other two, but to know he was one of the leading dissenters… she wasn't sure how to feel about that. However, she didn't risk interrupting him, and let him continue.

_I believed in what we fought for, believed we were fighting to make Cybertron a better place, and yes while the idea of power and glory did go to my head significantly, I never lost sight of our goal. Unfortunately, Megatron was not one to keep the goal in his sight. His vision became clouded with his power, with the fight. He lived to fight, to cause havoc, for the battle. I soon began to notice this… my advice and strategies for succeeding in capturing key places or people went ignored… He would act rashly, simply plunging us into slaughter rather than fighting with a specific goal in mind. I began to realize that Megatron was no longer fighting for Cybertron, but for himself._

Starscream's optics lifted, appearing slightly unfocused and distant, as if he were dredging his memories.

_When I realized this, I thought that there had to be a way to reason with him. I tried speaking with him, but he was rather… persuasive in ending the discussions. I tried to get others whom he trusted to speak to him, but they also were met with his temper. I did everything I could to reason with him, and finally decided he could not be persuaded through words and logic. I decided that there was no other option but to replace him with someone more competent, namely myself. Unfortunately… that was not an easy thing to do. I tried doing it the fair way, the way it should be done. I challenged him to a fight, as was my right as second in command. He accepted… and I lost… badly. Instead of accepting the battle as reassurance he was superior, he decided I needed further persuasion as not to challenge him again._

Starscream lightly traced a seam across his face, barely visible but still there.

_It was several orns before I could walk again._ _But by then I had tested his weaknesses and found non to be had with a physical fight. I knew I had to strike somehow, without him knowing. I tried everything from poison to trickery… unfortunately every attempt was a failure. Megatron is a most difficult mech to take down. Each attempt taught me what not to do… After one attempt that nearly had me offline, I decided that something deeper had to be planned. I began to gather support from the ranks, whispering dissent to others who I knew shared my views, but were too afraid to act. I managed to gather about half of the forces to my side…and I orchestrated a complex plan to get him to take only those loyal to my cause out on a mission… where I then attacked him surrounded by my supporters._

He paused, and Alexis had to force herself to take a deep breath, not having realized she was holding it. She could just picture the kind of leader that Stasrcream was, conniving and intelligent, gathering his forces, hoping to succeed.

_Unfortunately… as good as I was at deceit, I was not as apt at uncovering it. I had Megatron in my grasp, at my mercy… and I decided THEN would be a good time to gloat. He must have known I would do that, because that's when those who were truly loyal to him struck. I was taken down very quickly…_

Starscream sighed, his optics dimming as his shoulders slumped a little.

_It was a crushing defeat. I was kept alive to watch as every single dissenter was eliminated in front of me. Then… I was taught the error of my ways._

Alexis flinched. She could only imagine what THAT meant.

_I am not exactly certain how long I was kept prisoner… I do know that Megatron flaunted my wings on the exterior of our headquarters as a reminder to the troops what happens to traitors. I unfortunately was not so lucky as to die quickly. Megatron has always, and will continue to be, a complete sadist. He enjoyed taking out his punishment on me. The only relief I held was the fact that I might die after it was over. Unfortunately… _He grimaced. _I was not that lucky._

His optics shifted down to her, studying her warily.

_By now perhaps Ratchet has discussed the existence of sparks with you?_

She nodded.

_Then you should know, I have a unique spark. I was always aware of this, but as to it's properties I never knew. I found out quickly enough… as did Megatron._

He sighed, slumping over a little.

_It seems my spark cannot be extinguished. Most mechs sparks will die out when their bodies cannot sustain them, when there is no energy to feed them… mine, for whatever reason, does not seem to suffer these limitations. _

Alexis' eyes widened as she slowly connected what he was hinting at.

_Megatron destroyed my body the first time, thinking me dead… and quickly discovered that my spark still lived on. He then discovered the thrill of repairing me… only to 'kill' me all over again._

"My god." She whispered aloud, her heart aching as she could FEEL the pain through the link of his emotions simply in recalling the issue. "How …. How many times?"

_I don't know_. _I lost count. The things he did are not to be repeated to anyone._ _Needless to say… I do not try to dwell on those memories, and were it not such an important part of my life, I would have wiped them to forget them myself._

"I don't blame you for that." She murmured, then fell silent again. _Sorry. Continue._

_It would have possibly gone on like this endlessly._ _But even Megatron got tired of his game. Eventually, he tossed me in a dark windowless cell and completely forgot about me for nigh two or three of your years. He never once came down to taunt me nor to check on me. He never had energon delivered, he simply left me there to rot, possibly to see how long I could survive without anything at all, even contact from others._

At this, he paused obviously needing to take a break in his story. Alexis would have placed a hand on him if she could have, but resigned herself to sending waves of understanding through the link instead. After a time, he straightened up a bit, drawing strength to continue.

_Likely all the Autobots had was the reports of my death. Like everyone else, they believe me to have perished at Megatron's hands after my rebellion. Fortunately, or unfortunately in some cases I have often thought, things did not end there. I have two brothers among the Decepticons, two mechs who share the same build as me. While we were never particularly close as you might consider a sibling, though we were closer than others, and we shared a common past. They were my trine mates, my wing mates, and flew at my side through all the battles. We knew each other well, and while they probably despised me much of the time, we did share enough of a bond that they had a desire to help me. Eventually, once Megatron seemed to have at last forgotten about toying with me, they broke into my cell and helped me escape. They brought me to a good friend of mine who I had lost contact with, that they somehow had managed to track down. It was there that I hid while he repaired me… and there that I stayed to join him at his side as we worked on scientific endeavors together. To this date, I am uncertain if anyone other than those three knew about my escape. He rebuilt enough of my structure that I was not recognized when encountering Decepticons. It is there where I have kept my company, and hidden myself. _His gaze shifted back to her, blue optics shining softer. _This is why I am not entirely pleased having to reveal my survival to the Autobots. While they may not hold me accountable to my crimes after this long, considering I did try to stop Megatron they might even consider that act heroic, I also am not well-liked among most, if not all of them. I killed many of their ranks… and enjoyed it. I know what animosity they hold to me, and I do not blame them for it. But I would like to leave my past where it is, and not dredge it back up to the surface if possible._

Alexis sat there in silence, thinking over his explanation. It was very different from what she had formulated out of mere curiosity, but at the same time his words rang true. She knew he was not deceiving her, nor had he any reason to, considering she was neutral in their war. After a long time in consideration, she lifted her gaze, unafraid and undaunted. _So… You gave up fighting then and turned to science._

_It was my passion before the war._ He admitted. _I worked with my same partner back then… we were a good team, the top of our class… I loved my work. It is a good life to embrace science again and give up war. I was trained to fight, but I lost all will to do so with what I have been through._

_I understand._ She said softly. _The scars of war run deeper than just on the surface._ She commented, her eyes grazing over his own scarred visage, taking in the structure she knew to have been repaired after his encounter. _I don't think it changes who you are. It helps me better understand you, I think. I know why you gave that up… war does terrible things to all of us, even the most battle-worn._

_You are right._ His optics relaxed, and she felt relief flood through the link. _I was a murderer, I make no qualms of that. There is no day that passes when I don't reflect back and regret my part in the war. I used to enjoy killing, used to thrive on it. Now…_ He looked distant again. _I mourn it. Perhaps it is my partner who has calmed me… perhaps my experiences. Whatever it is… I wish to remain separate from the fight, I want no part in it._

She smiled slightly. _I don't blame you for that. No matter what the others think of you, I see no reason to change my perspective based on what you've told me. You have been nothing but cordial to me, and I have no complaints being joined to you in this weird unexplained way. You have my support, Starscream. _

The smile that graced his features was genuine. _Thank you._ He paused a moment, optics growing serious. _I would appreciate if you keep what you know to yourself. I do not particularly feel like sharing all of this with others who have not earned my trust._

_No problem, I won't say a word._ She promised. One thought tickled her mind, however. _One question though… won't your partner come looking for you? Does he know where you are?_

Starscream sighed. _Yes… he will search for me, and I'm unsure if he knows where I am. He has his ways of tracking me, however… It is inevitable he will come for me eventually. He is no threat to the Autobots or to Earth, however I am concerned he may draw unwarranted attention from the Decepticons if he is not careful._

_You should tell Optimus that, even if you don't give him details._ She pointed out. _He should be prepared in case he shows up, and prepare in case he's followed._

Starscream sighed, but she felt understanding along the link. _You are right. That is a wise course of action. I will do as you suggest._

_Good._ She replied, smiling at him. _I don't think you have anything to fear from anyone here. Even if they did somehow recognize you, considering what you've done might change their opinions._

_I doubt it. What is an apt human phrase that explains how long grudges are kept?_

_I get the point._ She sighed a little. _Well… whatever happens, I've got your back._

_Thank you._


	10. Chapter 10

**The Complications of Life**

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: Apologies for the long period between updates. Life has been complicated (please note pun here), and thus I haven't spent much time writing. Fortunately a rather devoted reader prodded me into double-checking the few chapters I'd written but not published, and after a once-over I decided to go ahead and post more up. I really SHOULD write more on this one… And a few others. Bleh! Anyway, apologies for the delay, here you go. And a side-story that is completely finished will be posted following chapter eleven._

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

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**Chapter Ten**

Things progressed fairly well over the next few days. Starscream had been rather ornery while his armor was being installed, but the moment the preliminary struts of his wings had been re-attached, his mood had brightened considerably. Though Alexis could feel his slight claustrophobia and anxiousness from being inside the med bay the entire time, the knowledge that his wings were back on seemed to alleviate his concerns. When she asked him about it, he grudgingly explained that nearly all fliers suffered similar feelings, although his Seeker model was far more prone to it than most. He himself was actually fairly used to small spaces for extended times, but his experience during captivity had also instilled some of his fears. He was good at containing it, however.

Nonetheless, it was interesting for Alexis to watch as Ratchet repaired him. The armor installation was intriguing, as he had re-built the proper armor for his class, rather than the fake disguise he had been using. It fit him better, as it was designed, and gave him a more streamlined look. Though it was all silver, she could begin to see something of a proud mech who once had been the elite flier of the Decepticon fleet. She could see why he'd held that title, and admired the elegance of his design.

However, the more time spent watching him being repaired, the more she wondered what he would do once Ratchet was finished. She knew it weighed heavily on his mind as well, as each time Optimus entered, she could feel his hesitation as he held back asking him something which he wouldn't share with her. She knew he had to face the possibility at some point, but he seemed dedicated to riding it out as long as he could.

It was therefore Optimus who finally broke the silence on one of his visits. "Starscream. I realize you may not wish to address this issue, but Ratchet informs me that the last component he has to install is your vocal processor, and then he will release you from his custody. I must then ask what it is you wish to do. Do you wish to remain here, or will you leave to pursue your own avenues?"

By now, Ratchet had repaired Starscreams' communications' center, so the mech was able to communicate through comm. systems to the other Autobots. However, due to courtesy, he still thought his replies to Alexis so she could hear what was being discussed. _I do not possess enough fuel to get very far without a ship, I am afraid._ Starscream admitted grudgingly. _If I could use your computer system, I could transmit a secure message to a friend of mine who would be able to come and fetch me. It may take him a few days to arrive, but he can be trusted._

"If you would be so kind as to provide a name, I can do a security check and clear his arrival."

_His name is Skyfire. He was a neutral during the war._

Optimus nodded, running a quick check through the database via wireless connection before turning his attention back to Starscream. "He checks out. We will allow you to contact him. I'd like to be there to give explicit instructions as to how he should arrive, but other than that you are free to do so at your leisure. I've had Prowl assign some quarters to you. You are free to roam about the Ark as you like, but I would ask that you don't go for any joy-rides outside without permission and an escort, simply due to our security. We are trying to keep a low profile from the natives as well as Decepticons."

_I understand._

"Do you have any other concerns?" Optimus asked solemnly. "I have not informed the others of your identity, merely enlightened them to the fact we had an injured neutral as a guest. However, given that you do more closely resemble yourself than when we brought you in, there may be those that pry."

_I will deal with them when the time comes. I merely ask your assurance they won't shoot me._

"I have made it clear that you are not to be harassed." Optimus re-assured him. "If anyone gives you grief, you have my comm. signature, and that of my security officer."

_Thank you._

"Ok… lay flat for me." Ratchet groused, shoving the seeker back onto the table. "This is going to hurt, but you're going to have to gut it out. Now I warn you, this took an incredible amount of time to construct, so if you go and damage it, you're going to have to answer to me AND Wheeljack."

_It's not rigged to explode, is it?_

"No. I made sure there was nothing combustible in it." Ratchet sighed, rolling his optics. "I checked to make sure." He pulled a few panels open and began to carefully weld the piece into place, attaching wires and connections. "This isn't going to be a perfect replacement I'm afraid. You're going to have to force yourself to use it, and it's going to be a poor supplement, as it's not your own make. But it'll let you speak at least, which is better than I can say you had before." Starscream held still as he worked, not protesting as the parts were installed. Once Ratchet finished, he pulled back, snapping the panels shut. "There you are. You're free to go."

Starscream sat up, rubbing his throat a little, but nodded wordlessly to the medic before getting to his feet. He offered a hand to Alexis which she accepted, crawling into his palm and then onto a nice flat portion of his upper right shoulder directly above a large vent, where she could comfortably sit without fear of falling off. She marveled at the view from this height, not daunted by it, but hoping that if he DID move suddenly, he would at least be able to catch her. She took a firm grip on the rim of his air vent, just in case. Together they made their way out of the med-bay, and into the rest of the Ark. Starscream was uncertain where to go at first. She could feel his desire to fuel up gnawing at him, but he also was reluctant to go mingle. Given what she now knew, she understood why.

"I can have someone bring it to your quarters you know." She offered. He glanced sideways at her, and gave a faint smile, nodding once. "And Ratchet said you should start using your voice more."

He sighed, rolling his optics a bit, before a low grating growl escaped from his throat. It was quiet, far quieter than it probably should have been for a mech his size, and very scratchy and distorted. He grimaced at the sound before muttering in the same hoarse grating voice. "Great… I sound like slag."

"Better than nothing."

"Not likely."

She let him drop her off a few doors down from the hallway leading to the lounge, retreating to his new quarters before anyone could bother him, leaving her to walk into the rec area to see who she could bother for some cubes. Unfortunately, there were only a few mechs in there at this time of night, as she glanced at her watch, trying to remember who all was on shift at the moment. Fortunately at that time, someone she recognized came in. "Ah, Wheeljack." She called up to the white, green and red mech.

The scientist blinked around before lowering his gaze to see her, and knelt down quickly, eyes cheerful. "Ah! Hello Alexis!" He greeted, panels on the sides of his head lighting up cheerily. "How are you today!"

She held back a grimace. As friendly as the scientist was, she was slightly creeped out at his energetic attitude…. As well as his persistent desire to want to 'examine' her for research. "I need a favor." She asked, hoping that this wasn't a mistake. "Ratchet released my friend from his care, and he's a bit too tired to come down and get some fuel. Would you mind hooking me up with a few cubes and delivering them to him?"

"Of course!" Wheeljack capitulated eagerly. "I would love to be able to introduce myself to a fellow scientist. I am most curious to discover what his specialties are."

Oh boy. Alexis grimaced slightly, but knew there was no helping it now. "I wouldn't pressure him too much, he IS just out of the med-bay."

"Of course, of course." Wheeljack insisted, going to the counter and placing a small stack of cubes on the tray before offering her a ride beside the Energon. "But surely he must be as eager to speak with fellows in his field after such a long isolation in repair. Certainly I would be, were I in his place."

Starscream was going to really resent this, she thought quietly as they traveled down the hallways towards his room. But she DID thing it was a good idea to socialize with a few of the Autobots, after all if they had common interests that could help loosen him up a bit. Either way, when they arrived at the door and buzzed the comm., Alexis was prepared for the disappointed look when the doors slid aside.

Starscream blinked down at the two, a frown crossing his features as he studied Wheeljack and recognized him. The cheerful inventor simply smiled, his eyes squinting in that unusual way of his. "Hello! Alexis mentioned you required some fuel. I thought I might accompany her to introduce myself." Starscream shot her a very irritable glance, but opened his door without a word to invite the inventor in. "Excellent! Thank you." Wheeljack said cheerfully, stepping inside and placing the platter down, helping himself to one as he took a seat in one of the chairs by the wall. "I must say, it's so refreshing to have another scientist around. Do you mind me asking what your specialty is?"

Starscream sat down, taking a cube and regarding the scientist warily. "Theoretical science, biological studies and experimental technology." He said at last, voice hoarse and grating, but audible.

"Experimental technology?" Wheeljack asked, leaning forward with obvious interest. "How extraordinary, that is my field of study."

"I know." Starscream winced, trying to avoid answering another question by busying himself with a cube.

"Then surely you must have heard of some of my accomplishments?"

Starscream fixed him with a knowing look. "You are proud of your infamy?"

Wheeljack chortled. "Well, one can't succeed without failure, right?"

Alexis wanted to laugh at the sour look on Starscream's face. "I suppose." He agreed reluctantly.

"So have you any great achievements then?"

"Not any since before the war." Starscream grated out reluctantly. "All my work has been done in private and is unpublished."

"Ah, yes… well there isn't really anywhere to go to publish work anymore, is there?" Wheeljack said sadly. "I have several things I would love to have placed in journals, but unfortunately things haven't worked to our advantage as scientists." He sighed, then perked up studying him curiously. "So tell me, would I know your name from accomplishments before the war then? I don't recognize your build, fliers weren't very common science guild members during my day."

Alexis could feel him squirming uncomfortably through the link, but fortunately they were all saved from further questioning when the door buzzed. Quickly, Starscream rose and answered it. Prowl, the Autobot's 2nd in Command, stood patiently waiting. As the door opened he blinked with a slight show of surprise as he took in the bases' guest for the first time, but he quickly got to business, surprise vanishing as he nodded politely. "The communications room is set up if you would like to send your broadcast."

"Thank you." Starscream answered, a flood of relief slipping through their link. "I will follow you." He glanced back toward them, addressing Wheeljack. "You will excuse me… I must make a call."

"Oh of course. I'll accompany you." The inventor stood, smiling cheerily as he offered Alexis a lift.

Starscream sighed, but didn't protest, instead falling into step behind the tactician and following him through the halls to the communications room. It was spacious, that was for sure. Alexis couldn't help but admire the wall-to-wall computers that took up the entire room. It was nothing but complex electronics, and there were two mechs seated at stations, manning it. "Red, I've got our guest." Prowl announced as they entered.

A slim silver mech with red highlights on his armor glanced their way. "It's set up for you." He said simply, giving Starscream a sudden intense and very scrutinizing glare, his optics keen and suspicious as the three mechs and the human made their way over to the wall where a wide screen took up most of the space.

Prowl punched up a few things, and then nodded to Starscream. "Merely input the channel and it should be set."

"Thank you." Starscream murmured, leaning over and carefully typing in a long and complex code into the console. The numbers popped up on the screen, and after he pushed a green send button, they began to blink on the black screen. Starscream straightened up, watching the display expectantly. There was a long silent pause while the computer obviously was searching the frequency, then suddenly it began to blink faster, and at last turned green the moment the screen flickered, and the image of a mech so large that he had to hunch over the display to peer through the screen flashed up. Immediately, Alexis felt a flood of relief through her link with Starscream. "Skyfire. At last."

"Star!" was the obviously relieved exclamation as Skyfire sat down on a chair, his massive body filling the whole screen. Alexis could spot wings jutting out from his back, white armor a bit scuffed and dented, but bright blue optics shining hopefully out at them. "Thank Primus you're ok. I was worried when I lost contact with you! Where have you been!?" He abruptly paused. "You got your voice back!"

Starscream sighed, slapping a hand to his face. "You're as slow as always."

"Did you get an armor overhaul!? And your optics are blue!" The surprise was obviously ramping up as Skyfire squinted into the display. "Where on Cybertron ARE you?!"

"I'm with the Autobots, and I'm not ON Cybertron." Starscream finally managed to break through the insistent questions of his partner. "I'll send you the co-ordinates so you can come get me."

"Autobots?" Skyfire blinked, looking obviously taken aback.

"Yes. It's a long story." Starscream said tiredly, and at that moment, Alexis felt a very strange sensation trickle down through their link. She blinked, looking up sharply as a very questioning mind suddenly probed forth, prodding at Starscream in silence. To her astonishment, Starscream gave a mental shove back at it. _For Primus' sake, Sky… hold your horses!_

_I can't help it! What the frag? You're with the Autobots? What on Cybertron are you thinking?!_

_Will you shut up! I'll explain it once you get here._ Aloud, he cleared his scratchy throat. "I'm sending the co-ordinates now." He leaned over, putting in the numbers, leaving Alexis' head spinning in confusion. Somehow, some way, she knew that this mech Skyfire had just spoken to them through a similar link that she shared with Starscream. The question as to why and how prodded insistently at her, but she held her tongue and kept a check on her thoughts, not wanting to interrupt what he was doing. Still… she could FEEL the other mech's presence there, lingering, inquisitive, and with an insatiable curiosity to rival her own. "There. Sent." Starscream said at last. "Make your way here, and for Primus' sake, DON'T let anyone follow you."

Skyfire glanced down at the console, studying the numbers. It was then Alexis felt a sudden wash of utter shock flood through him. _Is this some kind of joke?_ Came a sharp question, though the mech's face appeared calm on the screen, still seeming to study the numbers, his fingers moving as if imputing the data.

_What?_ Starscream shot back irritably.

_Star… these numbers. I know them. Do you even REALIZE where you're sending me?_

_What? It's a backwater little dusty planet filled with organics. What's to know?_

_Star! LOOK at the co-ordinates!_

Starscream blinked, and glanced down at the numbers, obviously startled by the mental tone of his partner. After a moment's study, however, Alexis felt the same shock ripple through him. _Impossible! It cant' be! That planet was all ice!_

_Nonetheless… those co-ordinates are burned in my processor, Star… I'd know them anywhere… It's the same fragging planet._

_It's possible…_ Starscream mused softly. _That things changed over the millennia… it may have been in an ice age at the time which has since receded giving birth to life here. This may be the same planet, but it definitely is not the same place. You have my word on that._

There was a very long pause, during which Alexis noted the other mechs in the room seemed to become a bit antsy at the long silence, obviously unaware to the conversation occurring in silence. _Ok… I'll trust you on this. But Primus, Star… this planet was the last place I thought I would return to._

_I know, I know… Just make sure you're not followed. If the Decepticons tag you, we're in for trouble._

_Right, better tell me that aloud to make sure._

"Do you have them?" Starscream asked at last, making a show of asking impatiently, his fingers drumming against the console.

"Yeah… Sorry I've got some interference here, it made the uplink slow. I've got them. I can be there in two days at my present course."

"Make it three. Do some jumps to ensure you're not followed. The last thing we want is Decepticon interference."

"Good point." Skyfire said, seeming fairly reluctant. "I'll do a few jumps to make sure. I don't think we've been tagged, but with them you never know. I'll send a signal once I'm entering atmosphere."

"Make sure to keep a cloaked entry." Starscream added. "The organics here are intelligent and have satellites in orbit. Run dark so they don't pick you up."

"Got it. We'll see you then. Skyfire out." The screen went black, but not before a short burst of thought was sent out. _I'll hurry. I miss you._

_I know. See you soon._ And with that, the link was abruptly severed, leaving Alexis with an odd sense of loss, and a distinct sense of mourning from her partner. Baffled, she watched him as he drew himself up, and turned nodding shortly to Prowl. "Thank you."

"When you receive his signal, we'll give him instructions on how to dock." Prowl advised. "Until then, you are free to roam the base as you see fit."

"Thank you."

"Interesting." Wheeljack said with obviously curiosity. "Skyfire… I know his name from my academy years, and it's hard to mistake his size… he was quite well known in the science community. He graduated nearly at the top of his class, was accepted into the guild. He had a partner if I recall, one who was just as brilliant." His optics slid sideways to study Starscream thoughtfully. "But I seem to recall there was an accident later where he was thought lost…"

"He was." Starscream rasped with a small shrug. "Fortunately he was found some time later after the war had begun. There were no records by then to update."

"Ah, that accounts for it, then!" Wheeljack said, clapping his hands together. "Well, I've taken enough of your time up. Feel free to drop by my lab if you like! I have an order of new flash bombs to finish up, so I had best get to work." He waved merrily and made his way outside.

Prowl cleared his throat. "You probably don't want to join him." He advised wisely, staring at Starscream with a knowing look. "Unless you'd care to spend more time with Ratchet."

"Thank you for the advice."

"Any time." Prowl said casually. "Oh, one more thing." He said suddenly, closing the distance between them. Alexis flinched from her position on Starscream's shoulder, suddenly feeling a sense of foreboding from both herself, and her partner as she caught sight of Prowls' narrowed optics. He spoke softly, low enough so the two other mechs in the room couldn't overhear. "I would strongly advise you do not cause trouble while you are here. I am well aware of your history, and nothing would please me more than to find an excuse to re-open my brig. Keep your nose clean, understand?"

Starscream frowned, his own azure optics narrowing in suspicion. However, he made no protest as the tactician stepped away. Instead, he watched him warily. _He knows who you are, doesn't he?_ Alexis sent privately.

_Yes._ Was the sullen response. _I suppose it was necessary that Optimus inform him, or he's just smart. But I believe he will not inform others unless something goes wrong. _

_I hope so. He freaks me out._

Starscream chuckled softly, glancing at her with amusement. _Does he now?_

She grimaced. "Oh shut up." He grinned, and shook his head, stepping out of the control room and heading back to his room._ Starscream…_ Alexis finally thought at him, frowning as she struggled with a way to ask him without seeming intrusive. _That mech… who was he? The one you spoke to?_

_My partner, Skyfire._ Was the simple reply. _We were good friends before the war, we have worked together since I left the Decepticons._

She had the sneaking suspicion that there was more to it than that. There was just something strange about their conversation that had bothered her. _You DO know that I overheard what you two were thinking, right?_

Starscream stopped dead in his tracks, and whirled his head to stare at her, optics wide. "What?"

She blinked, grabbing tightly onto his air vent to prevent herself from pitching straight off towards the floor. "I said, I heard what you two discussed… about the planet being familiar and stuff?"

He blinked. "You did?" He looked slightly troubled. "I did not realize you would hear that."

"Well… I did." Alexis said uncomfortably.

"I am sorry." Starscream said quickly, regaining his composure swiftly. "I will ensure I alter the nanites so you do not have to overhear such things again."

"I didn't mind, I just thought you should know. Some of that was… kind of personal."

"Indeed." He said frowning. "I will correct the problem."

That wasn't quite the answer she'd been looking for, but she wasn't about to press him. Somehow it just didn't seem to be her business.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Complications of Life**

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: And here it is. Questions answered, more emerge. Now that this chapter is out, I will begin posting the very long side-story that is a companion piece to this fic and a prequel. Obviously you will understand why after reading why it is I had to keep it on hold until now, heh. Anyway, enjoy._

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

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**Chapter Eleven**

The days passed uneventfully. For Alexis, she began to become increasingly antsy the longer she stayed at the base. She knew there was no hope to go to her home, and while she missed her cat, her friends and her life, the rational side of her told her she might very well have to kiss that all goodbye, until she could negotiate a first-contact situation for the Autobots, and from what she learned from Optimus and some of the others, such a first-contact was not high on their priorities, until they found their relic they would prefer to remain discreet. Starscream was not the best company either, unfortunately. He kept his word and reprogrammed the nanites, uploading the software through a wireless connection and promising her she shouldn't overhear any private chatter, though she might feel a slight tingle if they initiated contact. She was a bit conflicted about the news, and wanted to ask him further about the unique contact they'd shared, but was afraid of intruding on something personal.

One thing she did find interesting was learning a bit about the history of their race. Starscream had told her the generalities, but she had plenty of time to read up on a more intricate history of their world and people. It made for very engulfing reading. While she spent her time reading, Starscream had actually struck off quite a good working relationship with Wheeljack and Perceptor. It had started off rocky, but the three had surprised themselves by uncovering their similarities. Alexis had been very amused when she'd witnessed the two cornering him in the lounge one morning. He hadn't been amused, but she certainly had.

Wheeljack had strode into the room specifically searching for him. Upon spotting the silver seeker situated in the back of the room enjoying his breakfast, he made an immediate beeline. "Star!" He greeted warmly using the short-hand that everyone know knew their visitor by thanks to Skyfire's little slip-up, sitting down uninvited across from the rather grumpy mech. "I thought you might be here." He nodded cheerily to Alexis who raised her cup of coffee in return. "Perceptor and I thought you might like to spend the day hashing ideas with us. We would LOVE to have new input… I'm afraid at times we butt heads and often come out with less than we anticipated… to have new optics on our projects would be greatly welcome."

Starscream looked greatly reluctant. He'd been wary of the scientist ever since he'd met him, and this was explained to Alexis in private at a later time. Apparently Wheeljack was a very renowned mech, and not in a good way. Starscream hinted briefly that his facemask was thought to hide a grievous injury he'd received while playing with unstable chemicals. No one thought to ask, since they were worried what the answer would be. Still, the inventor was incredibly friendly to everyone, including a rather grumpy seeker. "What exactly are you working on?" he asked softly, his hoarse voice sounding far less raspy than it had the first few days.

"We're trying to create a warp gate." Wheeljack said cheerily.

Starscream stared at him with disbelief, and concern. "You're what?"

"You know, short distances, long distances… we're starting small, just across the lab will do. But if we can get it working, then we can send mechs across the planet in seconds, or even all the way to Cybertron, wouldn't that be something!"

"Warp fields are highly unstable." Starscream protested. "I've known two mechs who've dabbled in it… one has the brains of an ant, but made it work… the other was never found after a lab explosion."

"Oh we're not putting THAT much power into it, don't worry." Wheeljack laughed. "If anything it will just take a finger or two, easily replaced." Starscream didn't look convinced. "Perceptor mentioned he would love to get to know you. He's a bit too jittery to come and meet you directly, but if you were to join us in the lab I'm certain he would open up. It would be wondrous to have another scientist to interact with, even if you don't wish to assist our research, simply talking would be pleasant."

Starscream seemed to consider the offer carefully, weighing the thought of whether he wanted to spend his day bored as he had the last few, or if he wanted to risk losing a limb or two in Wheeljacks' lab. At last he seemed to reach the conclusion that while losing a limb was irritating, being alone and bored was the worst of the two. "Very well. I will join you."

"You will? Wonderful!" Wheeljack said enthusiastically, before turning to Alexis. "Would you also care to join us?" Starscream blanched at the idea, shooting the human a worried glance that said he obviously didn't think it was a good, or safe, idea.

Alexis however smiled, setting her data-pad down. "Sure, I'd like that. It's been entirely too long since I stared at something through a microscope, I'd like to polish my skills a bit."

"Oh you are a scientist as well!"

"Micro biologist and infectious diseases." She clarified with a smile. "I was also top of my class, if we're comparing credentials."

"Wonderful. Perceptor will be delighted. He's the one studying the intricacies of organics on this planet. I do believe he will be thrilled to know you better."

Starscream sighed slightly, though his azure optics twinkled with amusement. _Be careful, or you might end up the experiment._

_Oh like you haven't done worse._

He snorted aloud, offering her his hand as usual, before the three rose and made their way through the Ark's corridors and to the lower levels where the laboratories were. As they entered the lower levels, Alexis was quick to note the carbon scoring, numerous dented panels and rows of replaced panels. Clearly no one had been exaggerating Wheeljack's abilities. As they entered the lab, she was more than a little impressed. The lab was one enormous room partitioned into sections with complex and intricate machinery lining all the walls and piled onto every available table space. The room practically hummed with electricity, small zapping and snapping sounds making her wonder how well wired the room was. Still, the scientist part of her itched to explore the rooms' fascinating secrets.

"Well, here it is." Wheeljack said enthusiastically. "I must admit, Perceptor and I don't get many visitors down here, heh. I'm rather proud to show it off… especially to a practiced eye. So feel free to roam around, ask any question you'd like!"

Starscream examined the room curiously, his optics keen as they studied the various inventions and half-finished projects. "Impressive… and just as messy as Skyfire's lab."

"Well, as much as we try, I'm afraid we just can't keep it clean." Wheeljack said with an embarrassed rub of his head.

"You mean YOU can't keep it clean." Came a disembodied voice. Alexis blinked, staring around the room in surprise, not having realized someone else was there. She spotted no other mech, but as she scanned the room, motion caught her gaze immediately. Directly in front of them a small red microscope had moved all on it's own, it's lenses shifting without prompting. "YOU are an insufferable mess, 'Jack. I TRY to keep it clean, but you seem to always bring more clutter into the section I just finished tidying up."

"Eh heh… well, at least you tolerate it." Wheeljack chuckled, giving them an apologetic shrug. "Oh forgive me for not introducing you. Perceptor, this is Star and the human scientist Alexis."

On the table, the microscope shifted it's lenses back to the lowest setting, before a strange digital sound vibrated in the air indicating the incoming transforming sequence Alexis had come to recognize. Sure enough, the microscope began to shift, change and twist, taking a bipedal shape, though not gaining much size in the process. A very small mech stood up, brushing dust off his shoulder and reaching up to remove a slide that had remained lodged beneath the viewing tablet, placing it primly back in an open box. He seemed a very pleasant sort, as he smiled warmly up at them, a pair of half-moon spectacles perched on his nose much like a librarian, his lenses folded back to form what appeared to be an intricate equivalent of a hairstyle. All in all, he stood perhaps ten feet tall, still towering over her, but nowhere near as large as most of the other mechs she had encountered to date. She supposed being that he was a microscope, albeit a large one at that, he had only a limited amount of mass to work with. Still, he was definitely not as intimidating compared to some of the others. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, both of you." He said genuinely, walking to the end of the table and inclining his head to the both of them. "Ever since I heard you were here…" He blinked up at Starscream, blue optics curious and inquisitive. "…I was very curious to speak with you. Your story alone is filled with fascinating facets, but to know you also are a scientist is quite a surprise."

Starscream blinked, and then his face shifted to an expression of tired resignation. "You know." He said simply, glancing between the two.

"Ah, yes sorry." Wheeljack said looking suddenly apologetic. "I did a little research after seeing Skyfire, and after hearing what he called you, it only made sense. It was actually quite difficult to unearth, most of the data was apparently purposely deleted regarding your scientific work." Starscream just grimaced, sitting down slowly on a stool with a tired posture. "I suppose that was intentional though, considering your later experiences. They probably felt slighted how someone with such a brilliant mind decided to side with the ones causing the dissention."

Starscream smiled tightly, but nodded in agreement, indicating that was exactly what had happened.

"Still, that doesn't really matter anymore does it? I mean, that's over a millennia ago and you've left that life behind for good from what I hear. What matters is right now and your interest in science. Percy's a bit of a recluse, but he's energetic. He's been pestering me non-stop to introduce you." Wheeljack chuckled. "He's been quite insistent. I keep telling him that all he needs to do is visit the upper levels now and then…"

"I am not comfortable mingling among those who do not watch where they step." Perceptor said primly. "I only have so many replacement lenses with me, and last time that clod Ironhide didn't so much as apologizing for shattering my highest power focus!" Alexis couldn't help but hide a smile. Wheeljack and Perceptor seemed to be entire opposites of one another. How they could stand working together was obviously a mystery only they knew. "Nonetheless, I am pleased you saw fit to finally visit our lab." Perceptor offered, blinking owlishly up at Starscream. "It is quite a pleasure to meet a fellow scientist. We have far too many warrior-types up there for my comfort."

"You really should get out more, Percy." Wheeljack chuckled, taking a seat at the table beside Starscream as the jet set Alexis down off his shoulder by Perceptor. "It's not as bad as you think."

"Says you who at least don't have to stand on a table to see eye to eye. Hmph." Perceptor turned, regarding Alexis with clear interest. "I'm certain you understand my dilemma at least."

"Not really." Alexis said smiling despite herself. "Starscream is usually kind enough to ferry me around."

"And I keep telling you, I don't mind doing that." Wheeljack added, propping his chin in his hand. "You're simply too stubborn to be seen riding around on MY shoulder."

"Hmph." Perceptor sniffed, seating himself on a smaller rolling stool placed on the table near a raised work area obviously built for his size. "We can discuss this later. I would not wish to put our guests out due to our disagreements." Wheeljack simply shot them a hidden grin, shrugging a little in apology for his partner. Perceptor turned to study Starscream curiously. "I must ask, as I am quite curious by nature obviously, why did you abandon the ways of science to fight in the war? You obviously enjoyed it, and from what records we were able to uncover, you were very good at it. Yet you gave it up to enter a realm of death and destruction, then ventured back after leaving said field."

"It's a complicated issue." Starscream admitted with a small sigh. "And one I would not care to go into in depth. Let us just say, I had my reasons… and now, my only focus is science. I want nothing more to do with the war. I am a neutral now, and plan to stay as such."

"Fair enough." Perceptor said evenly. "I would not think to pry into your personal lives. As with all scientists, most of us have very complex stories to tell, no matter what side we adhered to."

"True enough." Wheeljack said, some of the jovial attitude he usually held dying out. "Science sadly is both the front lines and the rear when it comes to the war."

Perceptor sighed, pushing his spectacles back on his nose a bit. "Indeed. We create things meant to cause devastation at some times, and things to help… we are a double edged sword meant to serve two functions, yet none of our findings and creations could ever be heralded as something 'great' when it comes to using it for warfare." He shook his head glumly. "If only our research turned up more as to the location of the Allspark, perhaps we might have a chance at ending this feud once and for all."

The moment the word had left Perceptor's vocalizer, Alexis felt a wave of shock trickle through the link, despite the muted change since Starscream had altered the nanites. Glancing sharply over at him, she saw his optics were wide, hid body unnaturally stiff and still, and his face frozen in shock. No one else noticed, as Perceptor continued to ramble. "It's too bad Hound lost the trace he'd been tracking when he did… We nearly had it pinpointed, only to have it snatched out from under us. I wonder if the alterations I made to his tracking software have led him to any new leads since then."

"Wait." Starscream said suddenly, surprising the two mechs as their optics trained on him. "What did you say? Did you say you came here looking for the ALLSPARK?!"

Both mechs exchanged a puzzled and slightly worried expression. "Yes…" Wheeljack said slowly. "It is not exactly a secret among our ranks, but I imagine word would not have gotten out. We tracked it to this world, but have been unable to pinpoint it's exact location."

"We know it's here, just not where." Perceptor said, frowning. "We've sent teams all over the planet in search of it's location."

Starscream looked suddenly decidedly uncomfortable, and even slightly panicked. This gave Alexis the chance to ask something she'd been dying to ask for a while now. "Is that this relic that Optimus is always talking about? The Allspark?"

"Yes." Wheeljack added, obviously eager to enlighten her further, leaning down to address her properly. "The Allspark is a relic of our past. No one is exactly certain where it came from, nor how it was created. All we do know is it holds incredible power: the ability to heal, to create life, and to end it. It is the one thing that the two factions from our world have been fighting over for the entire second half of the war. Historically the Prime protected it, but when Megatron revolted, he got it in his head that the Allspark was an easy path to success when most of the war up until that point had ended in stalemates. Optimus decided it was not worth the risk in keeping it near, after learning of his plan to steal it, so he sent it away through an unstable warp gate. No one knew where it ended up, and the Allspark was kept out of Decepticon hands. The war raged on for some time, but eventually we ran out of resources and Megatron turned his attention to trying to find the Allspark. Optimus sent his men out to find it as well, and fortunately we were the first to track it to this planet. Unfortunately, we've yet to find it's exact hiding place. We know it's here, we just don't know where."

"So whoever gets this Allspark…?" Alexis asked curiously.

"Wins the war." Perceptor agreed with a nod. "Optimus would use it's power to rebuild our world… to fix what we destroyed. Megatron would use it to destroy his opponents, to control the rest of our people under his reign. We obviously cannot allow that."

"Unfortunately the clock is ticking, as you humans say." Wheeljack offered solemnly. "We've been lucky in avoiding Decepticon activity as of yet, but they have the same tracking software as we do. If they get a hint of it's trail, they'll follow it here just the same, and then your world will be in dire jeopardy." His optics turned serious. "They care nothing for species they see as lower life forms… they would destroy human lives to get what they want without so much as a second thought."

Alexis felt a raw shiver run down her spine. If this was true, then it was inevitable that one day the Decepticons would come. It was just a matter of how much time it would take for them to follow the trail here. She swallowed hard, and turned her gaze back to Starscream, who hadn't moved, and was still staring at the two mechs with a rather horrified expression on his face. "Starscream?" She asked quietly, feeling his distress transmitting thorough the link. "What's wrong?"

Both scientists turned their attention to the flier, just now noticing his expression. Starscream lowered his optics to the table, staring emptily at nothing, though his fist tightened on top of the metal surface. "The Allspark… is here?"

"Yes…" Perceptor said, frowning at him. "I do believe we established that. What is wrong?"

Starscream rose to his feet suddenly, stool clattering loudly behind him as he swiftly turned and strode out of the lab without a second glance, as fast as his silver legs could take him, leaving the three behind to stare baffled at his retreating wingspan. "What is that all about?" Perceptor asked puzzled.

"I'm not sure…" Alexis said quietly. "But I think whatever this Allspark is… it has something to do with it." She turned her attention back to them. "What else is it? Why would it frighten him so?"

"It has a myriad of stories attached to it." Perceptor said, frowning. "Most of them associated with mysticism and archaic religions that have no solid fact backing them. Some say it's a gift from Primus, some say it's actually a part of him. Others think it's a tool Primus used to give us life, some think it's all just pure luck, and the Allspark was a creation from a distant world and were a careless by product. The truth I'm afraid may never be uncovered, as we have no lasting records of it's true origins."

So then why would Starscream be so alarmed by it's presence, she wondered? She sent a brief nudge, but was met with nothing but a solid mental brick wall blocking her. He'd carefully shut her out. Whatever this was, it was serious.

The quiet was broken by a sudden electronic chime. "Wheeljack, Perceptor, you are needed topside. Please come to the control room."

"Oh dear." Wheeljack murmured. "That can't be good."

Alexis was no les puzzled by the time the three of them arrived at the control room. Starscream was there, but he appeared distracted and concerned rather than afraid as he had when he'd stomped out of the lab. He ignored their arrival, instead intent on pacing worriedly. Optimus Prime was giving orders to Red Alert who nodded primly and set off, as Prowl took his side. When the three of them arrived, the Autobot leader straightened and faced them. "Ah, good. We need your assistance preparing to expand our matter generator to encompass a new ship arriving." Alexis blinked. So, Skyfire must be arriving. She glanced at Starscream to see his face furrowed with a frown, distracted. "If you could work on the schematics presented on Teletraan, it should give you the dimensions of the ship in question. Please let us know where the best place for it to set down will be, and make your manipulations accordingly."

The two scientists got to work, after placing her in the welcoming hands Prowl offered. "Your friend is certainly worked up."

"I'm not sure what it is. Wheeljack and Perceptor were talking about the relic you're looking for, the Allspark, and he got very upset."

"Hmm." Prowl murmured in a low voice, watching the pacing flier. "That's peculiar. To my recollection of events, Starscream was out of the picture before Megatron started looking for it. Why would he be so worried?"

"I'm not sure." Alexis said quietly, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening. "This Allspark is powerful, right? Maybe he's just worried what will happen if Megatron finds it."

"So are we all." Prowl said seriously. "This world would be in danger, let alone all of us. It is not a good thing to think about. Still, the knowledge should not send him into panic. It is common knowledge here that we are searching for the relic. Why would he be concerned about something that he was never involved with in the first place?"

Alexis couldn't help but agree with Prowl. There was something more here, but she had no clue what. For what had to be the hundredth time since she'd arrived at the Autobot's base, she felt completely and utterly useless. What could she possibly offer these alien beings whose lives were just as complex as any human society? She was a third wheel, and a rather useless one at that.

It didn't take the scientists long to reconfigure the matter-generator, and upon hearing that they were finished, Starscream finally stopped his fevered pacing to look hopefully to Optimus Prime. The Autobot leader studied the designs then approved them, typing in a code into the console and hitting send before nodding to Starscream. Alexis felt a tingle in the back of her head, but heard nothing. She frowned, having the sneaking suspicion that Skyfire and Starscream were having another private chat, this time without the aid of the communications frequency. And given the slight vibrating rumble that was growing stronger beneath their feet, she guessed why. Optimus punched up the display to show an exterior view of the Ark, shrouded by blowing dust and wind as something shadowed was lowering down directly beside it. Alexis leaned forward in fascination, watching as massive thrusters of burning blue light became visible as a rather strange distortion made it's way into the viewfinder. It was invisible, yet not quite. She could see SOMETHING there, but it was like looking at a room through a fishbowl, it was distorted and bent. The blowing dust didn't make it easier to see clearly, but she got the impression that the ship was far larger than the small one Starscream had crash landed in. It was much smaller than the Ark, but still big enough to be called a ship rather than a shuttle or escape pod. As she watched, there was a solid 'thump' that shook the control room slightly before the dust and wind began to settle, the brilliant blue light from the thrusters dying away to nothing, and the strange distortion stopped moving entirely, making it much harder to see the shape of the ship.

Starscream was gone before anyone could say a word, walking quickly down the corridor, heading for the exit. The rest didn't take their time waiting about, but filed down the passage heading after him. On the way Alexis found herself being passed over to Jazz with apologies from Prowl who informed her he had security duties to perform. They emerged from the ship into the sunshine, and Alexis found it was a strange experience seeing the sun through the distortion, as it dimmed the light and made it slightly blue in appearance. Starscream had made his way down the ramp and was carefully walking towards the ship. Alexis leaned forward, curious to know how he could possibly tell where the desert began and the ship ended. If it had been her, she believed a good solid smack to the head would have been her first indication, yet he walked effortlessly if cautiously, as if sensing where the ship was parked. She imagined he was able to sense something she probably couldn't, perhaps the wind-currents against his wings guided him. Whatever the reason, he stopped abruptly just in time for a small crack of light to appear out of nothing, the hiss of hydraulics and whine of a motor breaking the silence as a ramp began to descend out of thin air, unfolding into a metal catwalk suspended from a door hanging in mid-air. Leaning forward on Jazz's shoulder, Alexis couldn't see beyond the entrance. It was dark, with no light spilling out other than the one single rather dim bulb above the corridor's exit. However, it only took a few moments for dull echoing steps to reverberate on the metal before a white mech with medium wingspan emerged.

Correct that, a very LARGE mech with a rather medium wingspan.

She'd seen him on the view screen before, so she knew that this had to be Skyfire, however Alexis was entirely unprepared for just how BIG he was. He had to hunch over to fit through the door, and even then he looked decidedly uncomfortable as he straightened up to his full towering height. And here she'd thought Optimus Prime was tall… Skyfire towered over him by a good twenty feet or so. He was nothing impressive to look at, if you placed size to the side, however. His paint job was white and simple, scuffed and dingy with bits of red and blue dappled here and there. However, the most intriguing thing about him were the pair of azure blue and extremely piercing optics that scanned the desert floor with an almost desperate need before fixing themselves upon the mech standing near the end of the ramp. Relief washed over his proud face in an instant. "Star." He said in a soft mellow voice that nonetheless boomed clearly to the gathered Autobots.

"What took you so fraggin' long?" Was the rather grumpy response from the flier as he crossed his arms over his chest in a small display of irritation. "Did you stop for some sightseeing along the way?"

"Did you know this solar system has ringed planets?!" Skyfire eagerly asked, quickly making his way down the ramp. "I was very tempted to stop and take a look! There was one with vertical bands, and another with horizontal! Composed of ice crystals and crushed rock, if I'm not mistaken. We must find time to go back there."

Starscream sighed, shaking his head. "You are such a geek."

Skyfire smiled as he stopped in front of his partner, not looking the least bit embarrassed. "I know. It's good to see you too. I'm glad someone took the time to make you presentable. It's an improvement over my shoddy work."

Starscream smirked, seeming quite pleased as he extended a hand which was immediately grasped by his partner in a firm elbowed shake before the two pulled into a quick and platonic embrace, lightly patting each other's back before stepping away, conscious of their audience. "So, tell me… what's with all the secrecy?" Skyfire asked, glancing up to the gathered Autobots. "I'm fairly certain I was not followed, but would it be a severe issue if I were?"

"I'll explain later." Starscream sighed, looking suddenly drained. Abruptly he lifted his head. "Where's Eclipse?"

"Oh, finishing the manual shut-down." Skyfire said, turning around to peer up the ramp, giving a sudden electronic warble in their native tongue.

Curiously, Alexis peered up the ramp not having expected a second mech to arrive. From the shifting of the Autobots around her, she guessed they hadn't known this either.

What happened next surprised everyone.

Footsteps sounded from within the ship, announcing the arrival of one more, but it was the appearance that sent ripples of surprise and shock through the crowd. Alexis stared around at the others, noting their astonishment, before turning back to study the newest arrival with some curiosity. It was clear it was a flier, as the wings spreading from it's back were just as wide as Starscream's though a slimmer and more aerodynamic design. There were similar design features there too, from the vents on it's shoulders, the thrustered feet, and the overall schematics which matched the seeker limb for limb, only there was a more compact fluidity about it. This mech was smaller, slimmer, and curvier, and it was only when the sunshine fell on it's face that Alexis understood.

It was a woman.

Up until then, she'd no clue that there were any robot women. After all, it wasn't as if physical sexes held any function. From what she knew, reproduction involved sparks and building bodies to house them. So what need was there for a different and more feminine design? Apparently she'd been wrong. This transformer was curvy, elegant, and actually quite beautiful, given the differences in their race. She had a strange air about her that was very feminine, right down to the way she walked down the catwalk, lightly stepping rather than stomping. Her design was sleek enough, but as she moved and the sun fell upon her chassis Alexis could see she had a very unique paint job of a deep rich violet and smooth cool turquoise, complimenting the silver in her inner workings well, set off by the pair of brightly glowing violet optics that scanned the crowd cautiously.

All around her, whispers were being shared among the mechs, whispers of awe and wonder, a few rude but flattering comments, and utter surprise at seeing her arrival. "Dear Primus… a femme…" someone was whispering harshly. "And LOOK at that chassis!"

"I thought they were all offline! How'd she survive?"

"She looks young… maybe she was able to hide through the purge."

"Whatever, man. I call first dibs."

"Oh HELL no."

Alexis sighed and shook her head. "I guess it's a universal concept to oogle at women no matter what planet you're from."

"Ya gotta admit it… she's one smooth lookin' bot." Jazz murmured. "If I weren't bonded, I'd definitely see what she likes."

"Bonded?" Alexis blinked, the term unfamiliar, and oddly enough she had the feeling she knew what it meant.

"Er, well it's similar to your concept of marriage, only it's on a more permanent level." Jazz offered helpfully. "Two sparks make the decision to bond and are permanently linked together. It offers some benefits, aside from being close on an intimate level you can communicate without the need for comms, sense the feelings of your mate and more. Bonding is permanent, mostly. I hear there are ways of breaking them, but it's not easy and can drive a mech to insanity. But bonds are the closest form of love and loyalty that you can form."

Sudden understanding hit Alexis like a load of bricks.

Starscream was bonded to Skyfire.

THAT was why they were so close. That was why she felt the strange tingles when they communicated. That's why she felt that strong sense of loss and loneliness when he spoke of Skyfire.

She felt a strange sense settle in her chest as she stared across the desert, watching the three mechs conversing quietly in the shadow of the ship. Suddenly, she felt very small and insignificant, as if she'd been a part of something great and grand for just one fleeting moment, only to have it shattered before her very eyes.

She didn't even realize Jazz was still talking, oblivious to her state, until he laughed, shaking her a bit from her perch on his shoulder. "And so I find it very curious that there's a femme here... especially being so young. Makes ya wonder."

"Why?" She asked, blinking out of her daze to stare down at the silver mech.

"Why? Cause." Jazz grinned. "She's obviously his offspring. I mean, only fliers spark fliers, and it's obvious from their designs that they're both seeker models. They ain't formed any other way, and seekers are real rare to begin with. Only a few dozen survived the war, and most of 'em ended up as Decepticons."

"But..." A thought tickled into her mind suddenly as her cheeks heated. "They're both guys." Bonding she could handle, but reproduction was a whole other matter.

"Huh?" Jazz blinked up at her, confusion evident from the expression on his face beneath his visor. There was a long pause, during which she had the sneaking suspicion he was doing some wireless research. "Oh! I see. You're thinking in your human reproduction terms?" Wordlessly, she nodded. "It's different for us. A spark is a spark, ya see. Femmes are a BIT different, in the fact that their sparks are more prone to be able to produce multiple offspring easily. Historically they take those shapes, to attract those wanting to spark offspring. Not all of 'em do it, but most of em did. Unfortunately, in the war most of em were killed since Megatron wanted to control reproduction, and the fact is while creating sparks can be done with mechs, it's harder and has a higher failure rate. 'S why most of us haven't tried it. But as for the same differences that separate your species, the biological differences in male and female where males and females can't reproduce without another of the opposite, it's not the case in our situation."

Alexis blinked. Boy was that more than she wanted to know. Ever.

Skyfire and Starscream were moving to join the rest of the Autobots, Eclipse in tow. "Optimus Prime." Starscream said formally. "May I introduce my partner Skyfire." He inclined his head upwards to the large mech who smiled warmly in response. "And Eclipse." There was the briefest of pauses. "My daughter." The purple and teal femme briefly acknowledged the group with a firm sweep of her violet optics, and a touch of curiosity in her gaze.

"It is my pleasure to welcome you both to Earth." Optimus said solemnly. "I welcome you here as long as you need refuge."

"Thank you for your kindness. I'm sure we won't need to be here long." Skyfire said warmly. "I must thank you for taking care of Star. I'm not sure what we would have done if you hadn't found him."

"For that you have one of the planet's natives to thank." Optimus said smiling, inclining his head right towards Alexis who felt her face heat immediately. "Alexis is the one who deserves the credit for helping him break free of where he was being held."

She felt a strange tingle at the back of her mind, and knew instinctively that the two mechs were communicating in private, out of range of her awareness. It irked her a bit, but she also felt better knowing WHY they did it. A private link was meant to be such, private. Nonetheless, Skyfire's gaze was warm as he regarded her. "You have my eternal thanks, Alexis Parks." He said formally. "From what Star tells me of what you've done, you are a tribute to your race and should be applauded for your bravery. I would be honored to consider you a friend."

Blushing, Alexis felt a warmth spread through her, and realized that it was partially Starscream's feelings of pride sweeping through her that had suddenly instigated the feeling of happiness. Smiling, she nodded. "I'm glad to be here for him."

"I've arranged separate quarters for you if you'd like…" Optimus was saying cordially.

"No need. I'll stay with Star." Skyfire said warmly. "If there's room of course."

"It's a tight fit, but its no worse than the ship." Starscream grumbled. "But I'm sure Eclipse would like her own room, she's not had that chance yet. Our ship is a bit limited for quarters."

"Actually…" The femme's voice was soft and very smooth, sultry and instantly drawing every mech's attention. "I'd like to fly around for a look. It's not often we get to stretch our wings."

Starscream immediately tensed. "No."

"Oh for Primus' sake, you can't keep being so protective forever." Skyfire nudged gently. "Let her have some fun."

Starscream frowned, but glanced over at Optimus who smiled gently. "I have no protests. Providing she accepts a terrestrial alt form and does not draw the natives' attention."

Something seemed to amuse the femme for she smirked in an eerily familiar way reminiscent of her sire. "I will not be seen."

"Very well." Starscream growled in a disapproving tone. "We have matters to discuss. But don't stay out long."

The femme said nothing, merely smirked as she turned on her heel, igniting her thrusters and spiraling up into the open blue sky before simply vanishing with no warning. Everyone stared, then shifted their gazes towards Starscream for an explanation. The seeker sighed, rubbing his face. "Don't ask. Her ability is rather… difficult to explain."

"Unless you understand quantum physics." Skyfire offered helpfully. Starscream just shot him a sharp glare. "What? It's easily explained by the theories of sub-levels of motion and parallel fields."

Starscream just sighed again, then turned to face Optimus, his expression sobering. "We should speak in private."

"As you wish." Optimus inclined his head, turning towards the Ark as the gathered mechs began to disperse.

Alexis shifted on Jazz's shoulder, watching as the two fliers followed the Autobot leader up the ramp into the ship. "I suppose I'm rather insignificant in comparison to all your problems." She sighed slightly. "It makes you feel so small, knowing what's going on out there in the universe."

"Don't take it personally." Jazz grinned at her. "Your people are way ahead of ours at your stage. Jus' cause we're a bit farther ahead in tech doesn't mean we know more, after all. Take your music for example."

She blinked. "Music?"

"Hell yeah!" The mech grinned, and suddenly loud music exploded out of his head, a grooving techno beat. "LISTEN to that! We ain't GOT that kinda sound!"

Alexis couldn't help but laugh, as she plugged her ears. Fortunately, she was rescued by a rather disapproving Prowl who smacked Jazz across the shoulder with a clipboard, effectively shutting the music off with a rather sore look from the saboteur. "No sense of humor. Really got work him a bit." Jazz muttered.

Alexis wasn't invited into the private discussion with Optimus, and it lasted far longer than she expected. However, as she sat relaxing with a TV-dinner that someone had thoughtfully snagged for her from somewhere, and she was sure she didn't want to know where, Prowl entered and informed her she was needed in Optimus' office. Abandoning her meal, as it wasn't very tasty to begin with, she consented to being taken there, where she found Skyfire and Starscream sitting in plush chairs in Optimus' sitting portion of his office. The Autobot leader was standing facing the window, deep in thought. Starscream nodded to her as Prowl deposited her on the arm of his chair, but said nothing as he turned his attention back to Optimus. The silence was almost painful, but she wasn't about to break it first.

At last, Optimus turned from the window and faced them. Though she was not completely skilled in reading mech expressions, it was not hard to determine just what kind of feelings were crossing over the Autobot leader at that moment. His optics were dim, his face drawn, mask retracted, and posture slightly hunched. At last, he seemed to realize Alexis was there, and approached the group. "Alexis." He said in a deep rumbling voice. "Thank you for coming. I fear that things have become a bit complicated. While we are very grateful for your assistance with Starscream, I'm afraid the time has come when we must ask for you to return to your own people."

Alexis blinked. Well, it wasn't like she hadn't expected that. She knew she couldn't keep hiding out among giant robots her whole life. But there was still the matter of being a fugitive. "Erm. Well your hospitality has been very kind, but I'm not exactly the most popular person among my military right now. The moment I show my face, I'm going to be taken into custody."

"Yes, we know." Optimus said quietly. "And we are actually depending on that."

Alexis stared at him, and then smiled. "You have a plan then?"

"We do, or rather, Starscream does." She glanced over at the mech in question who nodded slightly in response. "Perhaps you should bring her up to date with what you have in mind."

"Of course." Was the quiet response. His optics swiveled down to stare at her, and she smiled tightly, preparing herself for the unexpected. "I have a plan on how to get you back onto good terms with your superiors. If this works, you will not only be dismissed of the charges likely piling up against you, but hailed as a hero."

"That works for me. What's the plan?"

Starscream's lips quirked in amusement, and Skyfire smiled approvingly from the side. "You are going to lead us to your military base. All of us in a convoy. And they're going to listen to what you, and we, have to say. We have much to offer them in the way of technology, and in return we are seeking their aid in finding the Allspark."

Alexis chuckled, the image not hard to picture. She could see herself surrounded by an armada of cars and jets, all facing a few confused soldiers who had no clue what was going to happen. "Simple and straightforward. You think they'll agree?"

"They won't have much choice." Was the smug reply. "They may be capable of containing one mech on his own, but not all of us."

"Good point." She paused briefly. "This Allspark is really important to you all, isn't it?"

"It is." Optimus was the one to answer this time. "It is the key to ending this war, and fixing the damage that has been done. As we have been unsuccessful in finding it to this date, my thought is and these two agree with me, that it's possible your people might know more. We all would benefit from an alliance. If we can combine forces, we can recover the Allspark before Megatron arrives."

A cold swell of fear clutched at her. "He's coming here?"

"He will." Starscream said quietly. "We have no way of knowing when until he is near, but he WILL come."

"Therefore, its' critical that we find it before he does." Optimus said firmly. "For all our sakes."

Alexis glanced up at Starscream, noting that he seemed unusually quiet and withdrawn. His wings were held at a lower angle than she was used to seeing, and though he had locked her out as tightly as possible, she nonetheless had the distinct impression that he was very concerned and more than likely upset. Given what he'd shared with her, she couldn't blame him. The center of his nightmares, of the torture he'd endured was on his way here. She would have been terrified if she were him. "I'll be glad to do anything I can to help. When are we doing this?"

"Tomorrow, first thing." Optimus replied with a curt nod. "I see no sense in delaying it. We will give everyone a chance to recuperate from their respective journeys, formulate a plan of action and implement it. With luck, we will pull this off without much complication."

"Right. Just waltzing into Area 51 and telling them that it's time to form a truce with an alien race. They're going to LOVE that."

Optimus smiled mildly but nodded, indicated the meeting was at an end. Starscream scooped her up carefully and exited the office with Skyfire in tow. "This will be interesting." The white mech commented, sounding curious. "I don't suppose you have an earth alt available in schematic form that would fit my size? I'm quite sure that our cover might be blown if I show up as I am."

"What's your alt?" Alexis asked, curiously peering at him.

"A Cybertronian shuttle." He replied, sounding a little humble. "I was designed for large shipment cargo transport."

"That explains the size."

"That's a polite way of saying he's fat." Was the snide response from Starscream followed by a rough jostle as he elbowed his bondmate, much to the other's obvious amusement. "I took the liberty of uploading a few choices for you." There was silence for a moment before Skyfire's optics brightened considerably as he received said schematics. "I personally favor the second one."

"Very sleek." Was the approving response. "But they're both black."

Starscream just smirked smugly. "I like you in black."

They entered the rec room to find it completely and utterly packed. Unsurprisingly, this was because Eclipse was lounging on the sofa, surrounded by every single available mech not on duty. The young femme was seated between two similar built mechs, both of which were doing their very best to flatter her. The most amusing thing of all was that she seemed very satisfied with the attention, and was smiling in a familiar sultry way that was eerily reminiscent of her sire. Glancing quickly at Starscream to see if he was concerned, Alexis was amused to see him mirroring the smirk.

"So what's a pretty femme like you doing in a roughed up bachelor pad like this?"

"I've heard Seeker wings are incredibly sensitive… I'd love to test that theory."

"Hey, I've got some high-grade back in my quarters…"

"There's some beautiful cliff-side formations that you might want to see…"

Alexis had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. _Oh god, are they always going to be this bad around her? _She sent across their link.

_Probably._ Was the amused response.

_And she's totally ok with it._

_She's never had anyone fawn over her before… of course she is. She knows she can have any mech she wants._

Alexis lifted her eyes, seeing both fliers were grinning in amusement. "I take it you're not going to warn them then?"

"Frag no." Starscream snorted. "They deserve the fallout that comes after she turns them down."

"She takes completely after Star." Skyfire chuckled. "Manipulator to the core."

"You think so highly of me."

"Just speaking the truth."

Alexis chuckled to herself. She had to admit, she found herself wondering how it was possible. Even after Jazz's 'mechs and the femmes' talk, she found her mind swirling with the realization that robots procreated in similar terms to humans. While she would never pry into their business, as it was very clearly THEIR business, she couldn't help but marvel at how the mechs all flocked to the femme like magnets. She did notice there were some exceptions. Jazz and Prowl were there, but talking quietly in the corner, observing with some amusement, but not involving themselves. Wheeljack and Perceptor seemed in good spirits, sipping high-grade and watching attentively off to the side. The only other mech distinctly absent from the scene was Optimus, who likely was busy with more important things.

Oh yes, Eclipse was loving the attention.

"They act like they've never seen a femme before." Starscream snorted.

"And here you were worried she wouldn't cope well with others. Seems we raised her better than you thought."

"Bah. She's just got too much of ME in her to be daunted by a bit of attention."

"She's soaking it up. Her ego is going to surpass her head soon. Like another mech I know."

"Oh stuff it up your servos."

Alexis was perfectly content to let them wander off, as she knew they had much to catch up on after being apart for several months. She was content to watch the courtship rituals, noting how similar the Cybertronians were to humans. Flirting was the same, fake compliments the same, the ability to impress and exaggerate the same. It was really quite fascinating. Eventually the crowds began to filter out, and the final cinch to the gathering was when Eclipse rose and excused herself, sauntering out with a swagger of teal and violet hips, much to the appeal of hungry optics following her. Alexis decided it was a good time to retire after that, considering she couldn't laugh any harder without hurting herself.

However, beneath the laughter, she couldn't help but feel as if she'd been cheated.


	12. Chapter 12

**The Complications of Life**

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: Yes, once again I'm being slow. Apologies. You know how it gets, inspiration to write dies off though you have tons of ideas, you just don't feel like writing. Well out of that phase now (for the time being, who knows how long twill last)_

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

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**Chapter Twelve**

When Optimus said that their operation would begin at the break of dawn, he hadn't been exaggerating. A tone sounding at her door informed her that it was time to rise, and Alexis only groggily was aware of turning on the lights and dressing as she stumbled outside. By now she was used to walking through the halls and avoiding being stepped on, but the traffic this morning was exceptionally dangerous. Eventually, she made her way outside to find most of the rest gathered already preparing to depart. The variety of trucks, cars and other motorized objects was varied and colorful. High above, she noted with some amusement that the three fliers were having fun chasing each other across the sky. She could distinctly see Starscream's sleek silver body twisting through the clouds in the form of an F-22 Raptor, his offspring following him closely in an F-15, and swooping behind them like a bird of prey was an enormous SR-71 Blackbird.

"Yeah. Not going to draw any attention at all." She muttered. "I swear this is going to be like the RV scene straight out of Independence Day."

"Ya ready, my human dancin' friend?" Jazz grinned down at her as he stepped up to her side, almost bouncing on his feet with excitement.

"Ready as I'll ever be. I take it you're my escort?"

"Nah, Optimus insisted on that himself. Feels that he's the best suited to defend you if ya need it. Besides, he's the most impressive, ya gotta give that to him."

"True."

Alexis made her way past two flashy Lamborghinis, a police cruiser, several other rather expensive cars, and a couple emergency vehicles, past a large black truck she correctly identified as Ironhide, until she reached the idling semi-truck, minus it's trailer. The door popped open for her unprompted, and she slid inside the cool and very plush leather interior. "Nice." She commented, buckling up behind the enormous steering wheel. "You don't do anything halfway do you, Optimus?"

"Of course it is required to keep up appearances."

"Sure it is." She smirked. "No real trucker would oil their seats or polish their rims."

"We all have a few indulgences."

The trip across the open desert was long, hot and extremely interesting. One would have thought it a boring trip, so long as one wasn't traveling with an envoy of a dozen sentient vehicles flanked by three colorful jets that kept performing impossible aerial feats in the air in an attempt to amuse themselves while they kept pace. Considering the three could have closed the distance to the base in easily a fourth of the time the ground troops could, they were being exceptionally patient. Still, Alexis found her heart speeding up in anticipation for what had to be done. This was not their negotiation, but hers. She was going to have to talk her superiors into listening, and that was not going to be an easy task. They had explained what they had in mind to her, and to be frank she agreed that the most simple approach often was the best one, but it still didn't keep her from wondering if this wasn't some kind of massive suicidal move. After all, while the Autobots claimed mere bullets were not an issue against their specially crafted alloy armor, she still didn't like the idea of being caught in a firefight between aliens and humans.

Lets just hope it doesn't come to that, she thought as she shifted in her seat, watching as the base's perimeter gate grew larger on the horizon.

Unsurprisingly, the guards were expecting them. It was a little hard to hide dust trails from the massive group of vehicles, let alone ignore the bright paint jobs. Therefore, when they finally pulled up to the armed guardhouse, she wasn't surprised to see several weapons vehicles and a full squad of soldiers waiting for them behind the fence. Optimus stopped several feet short of the guardhouse, as they had agreed upon, giving her the cue to act. As the semi came to a stop, dust wafting around the dry desert, Alexis opened the door and stepped out, closing it smartly and approaching calmly to the guard post where an armed soldier stood, staring at her with a blank expression. There was no surprise at seeing her. "I'm sorry ma'm, but we have orders to take you into custody."

Alexis smiled, calm and casual. "I'm sure you do. And I would be willing to submit, under normal circumstances. Fortunate for us all, this is not one of those times."

"I have my orders ma'm." the soldier said, frowning. "Please don't make this difficult."

"Well the difficulty depends on you." She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest, fixing him with her best FBI stare. "Before I agree to surrendering myself, I need a favor. Get Banacheck out here. I need to speak with him in person."

"I can't do that ma'm." With a sharp motion of his hand, the gate began to open, and two armed soldiers began to make their way through, heading her way.

"Oh but you can." Alexis said quietly. "Because you see, my friends here aren't about to let you simply take me into custody without carrying through with my request first."

The soldier's blank expression was promptly replaced with a wide-eyed look of alarm, as the three fliers that had been hovering back out of sight suddenly appeared on the horizon, split into three directions and came in a direct beeline for the base. The soldiers didn't even have enough time to sound the alarm before they changed direction and did a three-way cross over their position, something only the most experienced aerial acrobats would attempt as they flashed overhead, did tight circles and slowed down, transforming in mid-air, weapons out and locked at the same time that the entire rest of the Autobot fleet began their transformations. Weapons clicked, loading and arming, aimed directly at the astonished soldiers who stared up at them with absolute shock, not daring to move as it was very obvious they were outnumbered and outgunned. Though the situation was clearly unlike ANYTHING they had prepared for, Alexis was impressed when none of them turned tail and ran, but held their ground, weapons up, though their faces clearly terrified.

"Now." She said simply. "Are you going to fetch Banacheck, or do my friends have to make a mess when we clearly don't want to. Seriously, we don't want an intergalactic war starting here."

The man didn't hesitate. He was inside the guardhouse before she could blink. Only minutes later, a fast-powered jeep could be seen speeding their way from the base interior. Even from this distance, Alexis could see Bannacheck wasn't alone, Simmons was with him. She grimaced, but folded her arms, waiting between Optimus' tall legs for the men to arrive. When they did, she was satisfied to see Simmons gawking, and relieved that Bannacheck had a smile on his mustached face. "Parks." He greeted, eyes unable to tear from the scene of more than a dozen fully armed robots towering over them all in the middle of nowhere. "I knew you would return… though I hardly imagined you would be this dramatic."

"You know me, sir. I love to make an entrance."

"That is most clearly the understatement of the year." The man ran a hand through his hair, staring up at the mechs with a look of wonder. "One of these the one you escaped with?"

"Him." She nodded, pointing up at Starscream who was hovering between his mate and daughter, watching her with a keen edge to his optics. "And he's got a temper, so I wouldn't push him."

"I wouldn't dream of that." To his credit, Tom was able to tear his gaze away to focus on her. "What are your terms?"

"Full pardon." She said simply. "My record is clean, and no marks against me for this."

"Done."

"And an alliance."

Tom blinked. "An alliance?" His gaze shifted back to the group of mechs, now curious. "You mean that they aren't here to enact revenge for their comrade?"

"No, they're not." Alexis smiled, turning and gesturing to Optimus who stood behind her. "Tom Banacheck, meet Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots."

Tom's gaze lifted to study the mech towering over him, and to his credit he only jumped slightly when the mech spoke. "Mister Banacheck. We have not gotten off to a good start, perhaps. However, our interaction with Alexis Parks has convinced me that sometimes first impressions are not to be trusted."

Tom Banacheck's jaw twitched as he desperately attempted to keep his calm as the mech spoke clearly to him in perfect English, something he obviously had not expected, but was taking well. "I ah… agree, sir. Allow me to extend my deepest apologies on behalf of my government for holding a member of your race against his will. We do not wish to instigate any intergalactic war based on a misunderstanding."

Optimus Prime inclined his head slightly. "And no ill-will is held. Indeed, were the situations reversed I cannot say I would not have acted in caution as you have. Let us consider the matter closed."

Tom Banacheck nodded, shoulders straightening slightly. "I would be most honored."

Optimus smiled and raised his hand. Behind him, all the mechs lowered their weapons, powering them down. Alexis noted with some amusement that Starscream shot a venomous glare towards Simmons, which unfortunately went unheeded as the man was far too fascinated at staring at the grounded mechs rather than the fliers. After a few moments of conversing, Tom Banacheck turned to his men and ordered them to stand down, and fetch the general. He then invited the mechs to enter the base, much to the horror of the soldiers, to which the invitation was accepted. Alexis could hardly contain her glee as all the mechs filed into the base one by one, the human guards all staring in awe up at them. By now, news had spread and nearly every battalion was piling out from their duties to see the news. Knowing protocol would be thrown out the window at the mention of aliens, REAL aliens, being on base, Alexis couldn't blame the crowds that began to form as the Autobots filed onto the open tarmac, the only area large enough for them to gather comfortably without being mixed between buildings. The commanding officers of the base were absolutely speechless when introduced to Optimus Prime, but quickly regained their composure as they found the Autobot commander approachable and much like themselves. Alexis was quite impressed to be fair, at how rapidly things progressed. An hour later, Optimus had spoken with the President and Secretary of Defense, had set a verbal peace treaty between the two peoples, and set up a meeting in person. Alexis, as she was considered the ambassador between the races found herself forced to listen as the two sides hammered out the details, but was really not a part of the negotiations. She did get a laugh when Starscream, who had obviously found the amusement of the internet quite to his liking, flashed a vague image of a cartoon character from a familiar television series snoring loudly in a chair. It took all her effort NOT to laugh in the middle of discussing peace terms.

"Christ, Parks." Simmons hissed in her ear from the chair next to her as they sat in the hastily cleared hangar where the negotiations were proceeding. "Maybe I didn't give you enough credit. You're a criminal AND an alien conspirator."

"Up yours Simmons." She replied cheerily.

"If it were me, I'd lock all these freaks up and see what makes them tick."

"Good luck with that." She drawled, pointing over to where Starscream stood, arms folded, watching with the others. "I'm sure he'd LOVE to get to know you better after you guys nearly dissected him before."

Alexis was quite thrilled to see him shudder.

The talks lasted well into the evening, and when finally Alexis saw Optimus straighten and walk out to the other mechs waiting, she knew that they must have reached an agreement. She approached Banacheck, and studied the papers on the table that appeared to be fully signed. "So you worked something out?"

"Yes." Tom agreed, sighing tiredly. "I must say, for the first alien peace treaty it went very well. The President is looking forward to meeting him to make this official. However, I'm satisfied that we've reached a good agreement." He glanced up at her. "By the way, congratulations Ambassador." Alexis blinked blankly at him. "You've been elected envoy between our two people, if you want the position."

She just grinned. "Like I'd say no."

"That's what we thought." Tom smiled slightly. "As you're already well familiar with them, it makes sense. They trust you, we have an invested interest in keeping good relations open between our people. It works for everyone." He ran a hand through his hair. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm rather exhausted." He shook her hand lightly. "I haven't said thank you, Parks. You knew what you were doing, despite the pending court-marshal."

She just grinned. "Sometimes doing the right thing means taking the difficult path. I'm just glad I'm not going to end up in maximum security." Tom smiled tightly, and turned to head back to his office, and she decided to go speak with Optimus about what had transpired. It wasn't hard to find them, as their voices rang loudly through the evening air. Most of them had retired into the hangars to relax, a few humans who were curious and unafraid had taken the opportunity to speak to some of them.

"No kidding?" a male voice rang out sounding interested. "So it operates without bullets?"

"You refer to projectile weapons fired at increased velocity?" Ironhide's voice rumbled out. "Such unsophisticated technology. We did away with that method of ammunition centuries ago."

Alexis grinned as she entered the hanger, seeing a group of soldiers gathered around the crouched weapons specialist as he displayed one of his fine cannons to them. "You've got to be kidding me." She laughed to herself, watching the scene. Glancing over to her right, she saw a flock of airmen trying to talk to Starscream, who looked disinterested and was clearly uncomfortable with the gathering of humans bothering him, but was doing his best to try not to sound TOO rude, as they seemed to be talking about methods of piloting in difficult weather conditions.

It was an eerie scene, and yet completely and utterly normal. Everyone seemed to have gotten over the whole 'Lord in Heaven they're aliens' problem.

"I take it you have finished your business?"

Lifting her head, Alexis smiled seeing Optimus Prime step carefully towards her, doing his best to make sure nothing small and organic was under his large feet. "Yes." She agreed. "I suppose for now. You'll have business here tomorrow I take it?"

"Yes. I will be remaining behind with a select detail to meet with your President tomorrow. The rest of you are to return to the Ark for the time being. We don't wish to cause any more uneasiness by overwhelming everyone all at once. I believe only a small detail will be sufficient to negotiate our needs." He knelt down near her, and she stuffed her hands in her pocket. "In the meantime, Jazz has agreed to see you to your home, being that you are now no longer a fugitive."

"Oh god, you have no idea how wonderful that is to hear." Alexis sighed, closing her eyes and letting it fall back with relief. "To have a shower… and real food."

Optimus smiled kindly. "Jazz is free to leave whenever you are ready. He also will remain nearby to keep watch just in case. We wouldn't want any misunderstandings occurring from other branches of your government that might not have been appraised of the current situation."

Alexis smiled. "You know our politics very well."

"It's my job."

The ride back to her apartment was nothing short of blissful. It was a warm night, the breeze felt glorious as Jazz pumped the volume on the swank stereo in his interior for her. She nearly fell asleep, exhausted from a long day. By the time he pulled up to the curb outside her home, she was ready to collapse in her bed. "Thanks Jazz. You're a real pal for doing this."

"Anytime, Alexis, anytime." Was the smooth response. "Ya need me, I'll be outside here keepin' watch."

"Thanks, Jazz."

She jogged up the stairs, and virtually threw the door open after unlocking it. Instantly she heard a loud angry meow, and her cat lunged at her, pouncing into her arms as she embraced him. "Sorry, sorry." She murmured. "Poor guy…" She glanced over at the kitchen, seeing a light on, and saw that someone thoughtfully had been there to feed him. Walking over to the counter, she picked up the note. "Sorry, Lexi, not sure where you are but Griff practically clawed my leg off when I came to check on you. I'll come check on him every few days. Call me when you get back, we're worried. Know it's probably work, but still call. – Sissy"

She smiled. "Well, seems someone was thinking about you." She quickly poured more food and water for him, and watched as he chowed down, purring loudly as she scratched behind his ears. "Sorry Griff. You wouldn't believe the time I've had." She wasn't even sure what day it was, or how long it had been exactly. Weeks, she knew, as much as a month maybe? She glanced at the clock and stared at the date. Jeeze… no wonder Sissy had been worried. She vaguely remember having a girls' night out with her scheduled for a couple days from the last day she'd remembered going to work. Giving Griff another scratch behind the ears, she made a bee-line straight for the shower.

Hot water had never felt so good.

Her mind felt foggy as she tilted it into the shower's stinging rain, washing her hair with deep slow scrubs of the shampoo. Everything seemed so surreal. Had the whole last few weeks truly happened? Somehow it felt as if it had been all a dream, just part of her mind, her weird job coming up to finally mess with her mind.

Another glance out her window as she slipped into her robe told her otherwise, as the Pontiac Solstice gleamed quietly in the evening light.

No, things were definitely going to change from here on out.


	13. Chapter 13

**The Complications of Life**

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: Yes, once again I'm being slow. Apologies. You know how it gets, inspiration to write dies off though you have tons of ideas, you just don't feel like writing. Well out of that phase now (for the time being, who knows how long twill last)_

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

**Chapter Thirteen**

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Her life had never been so normal, but nor had it ever been so radically different.

The days following her return to her real life was filled with lots of briefings, explanations to angry family members and the desire to just tell them all to bugger off and leave her alone. Unfortunately, she had obligations now. She had given fifteen different briefings of the same content to a dozen federal agencies, from the Secretary of Defense who had wished to talk with her briefly about her views on their new allies, to even a phone call with the President of the United States, thanking her for volunteering to be the liaison for the Autobots. Alexis had been a bit worried that all this attention would go to her head, but every time she sat down in the quiet of her room, she felt overwhelmed. She noticed that the nanites in her bloodstream seemed to be dormant more as of late, and she couldn't be sure this was because she was a good twenty miles from the Ark, or whether Starscream had just shut down communications now that her translation was no longer needed. Either way, it left her still feeling a bit lost. Nonetheless, when she finally had a free part of her day to spare, she didn't waste it. She got into her jeep and drove straight to the Ark, though the last two miles over flat dirt and rocks were none too gentle on her shocks.

But she was in for a shock of her own as she drove up.

The Ark itself looked just as she'd left it. But as she pulled up, she noticed that there were loud explosions coming from somewhere off the ridge to the left. Gunning her engine and tearing off in that direction, it didn't take her long to crest the rise, and when she did she saw a peculiar scene. All the Autobots were lined up in a row, guns out, taking pot shots at boulders, shrubs and whatever else they were asked to target. She noted a few humans were gathered about, watching with interest, obviously taking notes. As she hopped out of her car, she caught Starscream's eye who was watching from behind the group, his arms folded over his chest as he leaned against the nearby cliff wall, looking sullen. "Hey, what's going on?"

"They're exchanging tactical information." He replied quietly, crouching down to her level.

"Target practice?"

"Pretty much."

She watched as one of the boulders exploded with a loud BOOM of blue light, and a cheer went up from a few humans standing near Ironhide. "I'll bet. And you're not interested in this little training exercise I take it?"

He smiled faintly. "Not in the slightest. Besides, I never was the best shot."

She chuckled quietly, listening in on some of what was going on. It seemed off to the side, Sideswipe was having an adamant discussion with some of the army men. "No, look it's easier than you think. It doesn't matter how big or bulky you are, it's just a matter of finding the weak points of your opponent."

"Yeah right man, there's no way we could take on one of you by grappling."

Sideswipe grinned. "Well no, I suppose not. But still…" He paused. "Here let me show you." His optics roamed around and he gestured wildly. "Hey, Skyfire! C'mere for a minute!"

"I'm a bit busy, Sideswipe." Called the large shuttle from the side where he was working on something with Perceptor and Wheeljack, altering what appeared to be some kind of weapon they were testing out on the poor rock wall adjacent to them. "Get Star to help you. He's not doing anything."

Starscream grimaced. "Fragger."

"Your welcome!"

Sideswipe's gaze slid over to the flier as he grinned. "C'mon, I just want to show them some holds. Trust me, I won't hurt you. I'll be gentle."

His gaze narrowed. "Find someone else."

"Everyone else is busy. Come on it'll only take a second. I won't do the full move if you want, Mr. Scientist. Sheesh, afraid to take a ding?" Alexis had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing at the angry glare Starscream threw the red mech's way. But finally, he sighed and walked over to the group, looking rather resigned. "Great! Ok stand here…" He positioned the larger mech in the proper place, moving his hands to shoo the army men backwards so they wouldn't accidentally be in the way. "Ok so, obviously this guy is bigger than me. But if you study his structure you can see there's differences in how we're built and also how we hold ourselves. He's overbalanced thanks to his wings, so he's always going to be top heavy. Now, he's used to that cause he's gotta be, but it's also to his detriment if I do this…" Sideswipe put a hand firmly on Starscream's shoulder, pushed his foot into the mechs' knees from behind. Starscream nearly pitched forward, but caught himself since Sideswipe hadn't really kicked him, only demonstrated by pushing his joints. "So if you put some force behind it, you knock him down, and bam, push him face-first into the dirt. Easy."

Alexis had to close her eyes, desperately holding her side to keep from exploding into laughter at the look on Starscream's face. Obviously Sideswipe was not 'in' on his past background. If he had been, he probably wouldn't have dared demonstrate basic self-defense tactics on the Air Commander and SIC of the Decepticons. The look Starscream wore on his face said that he was thinking just the same thing.

"Now, if you happen to catch a flier like him in the air, the best thing to do is go for the wings. Balance is everything, especially in flight. Now they're reallllly good about flying, most of them anyway, so you gotta be just as good at finding out how to take them down. So… for someone like this guy here, if I were to grab his wing here…." Sideswipe's fist wrapped around the tip of Starscream's wing. Alexis tensed, as she was the only one that caught the side-long look the silver seeker threw his 'teacher'. Oh dear… that was not a good sign. "And then give it a good yank…."

It happened so quickly, that Alexis knew she'd never be able to figure out how he did it. One minute Sideswipe was grinning, demonstrating how he was about to send Starscream off balance while supposedly in mid-air, the next the red mech had flown through the air, up and over his own head, and was laying flat on his back with Starscream's foot on his chest, leaning lightly on his chassis with a look of annoyance. "Do you plan on teaching them how to fight seekers, or how to take down a commercial aircraft?"

Alexis' breath caught, as suddenly she realized just how deathly quiet the entire practice field was. Everyone was frozen in place, everyone was staring in shock at the soft-spoken scientist. She guessed that the move he'd just pulled wasn't a beginner one.

Sideswipe was gaping up at him. "How did you do that?" He asked finally. "That was top-level combat training tactics!"

Starscream's face twisted into an expression of regret as he suddenly removed his foot and backed off, glancing around at everyone that was watching. "Forget it. I'm done here." He muttered to himself, his wings slumping slightly as he turned to shuffle off.

"Wait." Prowl was the one to speak up, rising from where he crouched by a nearby boulder with Bluestreak and Red Alert. His optics were keen, and knowing. "We could benefit from your knowledge. You're right, they don't know how to fight seekers." His gaze snapped briefly over to Skyfire, who was looking positively petrified. "But to be completely honest with you, I think we need to start being realistic. If Megatron is coming here, so are the rest of his forces. They all have advanced tactics that we haven't kept up on over the years of war, tactics we don't intimately know." His gaze bore into Starscream, silently pleading. She knew what he was asking the mech. He wanted him to teach them. "I know you have turned to science." Was the low voice, one that was meant only for Starscream to hear, only Alexis was close enough to listen in. "But that move you just did… none of them have been able to move like that ever. You may have put aside your desire to fight, but does that mean you cannot train and teach what you know? No one is asking you to fight with us, but your knowledge could be paramount to having the upper hand when Megatron does get here."

Starscream's jaw clenched. "I haven't been in on their latest tactics." He protested in a low voice. "You probably know more than I do about their maneuvers by now. I'm out of practice."

"No you're not." Prowl urged. "Your reflexes were perfect. You haven't forgotten a thing, and both of us know it. It's too deeply ingrained in you. Scientist you may wish to be, but you were still one of the most deadly fighters we ever faced in battle. Ever. No one took you down more than a glancing blow. You knew our tactics, we never knew yours. And we haven't fought the Decepticons as much as you think. You know them intimately. Please, share what you know with us. You want to put a stop to this, don't you? Optimus Prime asked you to help however you could, right? So help us."

He grimaced again, optics lowering with clear discomfort. "They will know who I am."

"I don't think they will care as much as you think they will. It's been a millennia, and you're working with us now. They know you well as you are, who you were is in the past, but it can still help us. And if anyone has a problem with it, they will have to go through me and Optimus, and probably a handful of other mechs who will vouch for you." Prowl's optics hardened. "Please, Starscream. The Decepticons were terrible at carrying out plans, but they were ruthless and deadly in battle for a reason. They knew how to fight, and they were good at it. All of us, we weren't the fighting types. We just learned what we had to, we never were trained for this sort of thing. You were, and you can teach them how to react, how to defend, how to think. You don't have to fight anyone anymore, but your experience is invaluable to us."

Alexis knew that within Starscream waged an ugly battle. To keep his identity secret and be selfish, or to reveal it to train the Autobots to become better fighters. She could feel the indecision weighing on him. On the one hand, she had the suspicion that he thought it would be inevitable anyway. Eventually they had to find out, especially if this Megatron did return he clearly was going to recognize him unless he chose to hide from the battle entirely. On the other hand, she knew he wanted to help them, this Allspark was clearly important to them all, and if keeping it out of Megatron's hands was key, then Prowl was right they needed all the help they could get. But his privacy was at stake here.

He ran a hand over his face, a long sigh escaping from his shoulder vents. "Fine." He said quietly. "I'll do it."

Prowl nodded, his optics shining. "Thank you." He said quietly. "I know what you're giving up for this. I know how much it means, and I respect that. But you have my word, anyone who has a problem with who you are can visit the brig until they change their mind. I don't care who it is." The seeker smiled fleetingly, and nodded lightly towards Prowl before he suddenly pulled himself upright, turned and strode purposely towards the gathered mechs. Prowl stepped forward, and gestured for everyone to gather around, which they did. "All right, all of you listen up. We're going to go about this in an organized way, no chaos." He briefly glanced at Starscream. "Who do you want to start with?"

The seeker's eyes swept the group, studying each of them carefully in turn. "You seem to have more gunners than physical fighters." He finally commented.

"Yes, we tend to be low on one-on-one tactic teams." Prowl agreed.

"Then we will work on that first, as it is clearly the area you need improvement on."

"Wait, you think you can best us in hand-to-hand?" Sunstreaker demanded. "The only reason you got the upper hand on Sides was because he wasn't expecting it!"

Starscream's gaze shifted to bear down on the yellow mech. "You think that is so?"

"Yes."

"Then you can be first."

The yellow mech smirked. "With pleasure." He stepped forward as the mechs all circled the pair. Starscream seemed at ease while he watched the yellow mech face him, optics quickly studying him as he began to circle him. "I don't want to hurt you, science geek." He taunted. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Starscream actually smirked in response. "Show me what you have."

Sunstreaker wasted no time in doing just that. He crouched down and began to circle Starscream who just watched him, slowly turning to face him while keeping himself in the center of the circle, not permitting Sunstreaker to push him further backwards. Then, the yellow mech rushed him, shoulder first. Starscream stood calmly, letting him approach, then as he got close enough, he put a hand firmly on his shoulder, and pushed himself backwards using his own inertia to twist past the mech as he sped past. It was so little effort that the mechs around him murmured in surprise and respect. Sunstreaker just looked pissed, and whirled to face him again, then frowned and decided to try another tactic. He kicked out at the mech's legs while sweeping a fist towards his head. Starscream danced aside, ducking easily avoiding the hit, and straightened up, watching him yet again with a calm placid face. Sunstreaker didn't hesitate, and dropped to his knees, twisting and kicking a foot up towards Starscream's torso, expecting the seeker to be off balance from dodging, but his foot was abruptly caught by two hands, and twisted to the side. He let out a yelp of pain and had to collapse to avoid having his ankle twisted.

"I gotta hand it to him, he knows a thing or two." Jazz murmured respectfully.

Sunstreaker growled. "What are you playing at!? Fight me back!"

Starscream just eyed him calmly. "I was assessing your fighting style." He said simply, slowly pacing around him with calm even steps. "Brash, sharp movements, fast and strong, but not aiming for the right points, leaving yourself open." Without warning, he rushed the yellow mech. Sunstreaker blinked but reacted quickly, dropping into a defensive posture. Starscream's fist swung towards his face, which he avoided, and to his credit he saw the leg coming up for his gut, caught it, but stalled when the seeker used his grip to vault himself into the air, his other knee slamming into the side of his head as his free hand grabbed the other side, and with a twist and a burst of his thrusters, he had Sunstreaker on the ground with a loud clatter. "Sloppy." He said calmly, staring down at the stunned warrior who was pinned right between his knees. He abruptly let go, stood and backed up. "Again." Sunstreaker growled, rolling over and was on his feet, rushing at Starscream again. This time, he was faster, his optics watched his opponent closer, knowing he was faster than he'd judged. But still, every punch was avoided, ever kick used against him. At one point, he managed to slam a foot into Starscream's side, and grinned triumphantly, until he found that it had been a ruse allowing the seeker to grab the back of his helm and throw him over his shoulder.

As everyone watched, the cheering grew. Each time Starscream completed a move, they cheered. Each time Sunstreaker almost had him, they gasped, and each time they faced off advice was shouted to the yellow mech. But nothing seemed to work. It ended when Sunstreaker managed to grab Starscream's arm and hurled him forwards, but the seeker let him, used the maneuver to pull himself forward, twisting his body into a sudden pivot, and his leg snapped out whirling in the curve from the inertia, and slammed him upside the head with a loud sonorous clang of thruster against helmet. Sunstreaker went down, dazed and held a hand up. "Ok….frag you… I'm done…." He squinted up at Starscream, with grudging admiration. "You're a fragging flier. Where did you learn moves like THAT?"

Starscream regarded him calmly, then offered a hand, to which Sunstreaker took rather dazedly as he was lifted to his feet. "You need to work on your attitude." He said, without answering the question. "You are too hasty, too impatient. You can't just blindly rush at your opponent like some battering ram. You are stronger than I am." He said firmly, eyeing the mech. "I can't take the hits that you can, my build is lighter. But I beat you without much of an effort. Tell me why."

Sunstreaker scowled. "I hate riddles, smart-aft." Starscream's gaze did not waver. The mech grimaced. "Fine. Because you seemed to know where to take me every fragging time."

"Yes, because you leave yourself open far too easily. You charge in with passion, which is good against an opponent none too smart. However if you analyze your opponents weak points and then decide where to strike, you will always prevail. Brawn and strength stand nothing against a clear head." Sunstreaker stared at him with a slight frown, but respectfully backed off. "Who's next?"

Surprisingly, Jazz stepped forward, dropping into a crouch with a grin. "I'm game."

Starscream smiled slightly, and before you could blink, the two began. Jazz was a whole different opponent from Sunstreaker. He was quick, fast, and smart. He watched the seeker circle him, and moved. Unlike Sunstreaker, Jazz was built for speed and stealth, not strength. He struck with his fists and hands in places, seeking the weak points in Starscream's armor. The seeker had to react more defensively with Jazz, smacking his fists away with his own, performing complex twists and spins to avoid the assaults. The opponents sparred for quite some time, seeming to be equal on the ground before Jazz tried something bold, sweeping his foot upwards as he took a roll, striking for Starscream's cockpit. It would have worked, Alexis thought, if Starscream had been distracted. But he wasn't. He caught the foot aimed for his chassis, and used it to flip himself over, not releasing it as he landed and jerked Jazz flat on his stomach with a bold snap of his leg. The saboteur grunted, and glanced back with obvious admiration. Starscream released his leg, he rolled over, brushed himself off and grinned. "Awesome. Thanks."

It went on like that for some time. Each mech got a bout if they wanted it, and many did. Each time, Starscream bested them, each and every one. His skills were unprecedented, he seemed to know how to strike each person's weakness, their style, adapting his own to match.

It was nearly sundown when Ironhide hit the ground with a tremendous crack of metal plating, looking highly baffled as to how the light and agile seeker had managed to throw him. But he accepted it gracefully, nodding to Starscream as the seeker returned the nod.

"What is going on here?" A deep voice rang out through the group.

Everyone froze, and guilty optics all switched towards a mech no one had noticed approach. Optimus Prime was watching with a clearly disapproving expression, a jeep-full of men watching with far more interest than the Autobot leader. Starscream for one, suddenly looked highly unnerved. "Ah… sorry, we were just…" He stammered, wings drooping with sudden concern.

"I saw what you were doing." Optimus Prime interrupted, and then slowly stepped forward, over the lines of humans on the ridge into the impromptu ring at the center of the Autobots. Starscream took a few steps backwards, optics lowering suddenly. "What I want to know is why."

Starscream remained silent. Alexis wondered why suddenly the seeker looked as if the Autobot Commander might lash out and strike him at any minute. "It was my fault sir." Prowl spoke up, unexpectedly, stepping forward swiftly, coming to stand beside Optimus. "I asked him to teach them a few moves, thinking it would help them learn some new tactics. I coerced him into agreeing…"

"Prowl." Optimus interrupted. The tactician fell silent, lowering his head and stepping back slightly at the unspoken order. Optimus turned his head back to Starscream, studying him intently. "Is this true?"

"No sir." Was the quiet reply. "I agreed to do it willingly."

"I see." Optimus said quietly, his gaze sweeping the gathered Autobots who all suddenly shuffled, looking away. But the Autobot leader's gaze did not seem to miss much, as it noted the dents and dust covering his men, and back to Starscream. "Have you taught them anything useful?"

Starscream's optics snapped upwards, surprise evident on his face. His expression briefly flickered to one of something indefinable, before he pulled himself upright. "Yes." He said firmly. "I have."

"Show me."

There was a ripple of surprise among the Autobot ranks, and anticipation as well. Surprisingly, Starscream, after his initial burst of surprise, smiled and tensed, crouching prepared as Optimus Prime stepped into the ring. Now, everyone was there watching, optics and eyes riveted as the two circled one another. Starscream was by far smaller than Optimus was, but as had been demonstrated all afternoon, size mattered little against skill. But in this case, it was clear everyone expected Optimus to win. There were a few energetic shouts as the two circled, but for the most part everyone kept silent for them, eager to see how they sparred. The one rule that had prevailed during the sparring match was no hard blows, no weapons. But then, someone with strength like Optimus Prime hardly needed weapons. One blow from his large fist could easily dent the seeker's malleable plating. However, this time, Starscream seemed to decide striking first was to his advantage rather than watching his opponent. He moved forward with a flash of silver, fist extending towards Optimus' side. The large mech quickly twisted aside, and was surprised by an impromptu kick in his lower back as Starscream whipped around, thrusters activating to give himself boost. The kick didn't stop him for long, however, as his arm reached out and grabbed the tip of the seeker's wing before he could get out of reach, and swung him back around, throwing him off balance and delivering a blow to his chest with his free hand. Starscream grunted, falling back to the ground heavily, but didn't stay there for long. He was rolling back on his feet, circling again, not seeming phased by the blow at all. This time it was Optimus who moved forward, his long legs carrying him quick distance in short moments, giving Starscream only a half-second to duck as he swung, and then kicked in quick succession, moving to sweep the other mech off his feet. Starscream ducked, and lifted his feet with a burst of thrusters at the same time, performing a move that no other mech would dare try. But Optimus was not a renowned fighter for nothing. His other fist came around flat-palmed towards the seeker's chassis. Starscream was quick, catching it with his hands, stopping the move as his thrustered foot swept up towards Optimus' face. The larger mech ducked, releasing the other only to find himself suddenly used as a vault, Starscream flipping up and over, his legs locking around his throat as several tons of seeker affixed to his shoulders, hand in the poise of a gun against his temple. "Bang." He said simply.

There was silence before loud shouting cheers rose out in the crowd. Optimus Prime smiled behind his facemask and relaxed. Starscream dropped his arm and jumped off, smiling a little, but then looking suddenly worried as he glanced over at Optimus.

"Well fought." Optimus greeted, offering his hand. "I admit, though I had heard of your fighting prowess, I never thought that hand-to-hand would be your forte. I can see that like many people, I have underestimated you, Starscream."

The clapping died off slowly, only a few mechs remaining giving their applause, the rest of their optics were slowly widening in surprise. Alexis glanced worriedly at the flier, but saw that he was relaxed, smiling, and seemed unworried that his name had just been spoken aloud. Perhaps he'd known that it was inevitable after his sparring bouts and had already accepted his secret would be revealed, perhaps he was more secure standing next to Optimus as he acknowledged him as an equal and friend, but whatever reason, he showed no sign of being concerned. "It isn't." He stated quietly. "It was my weakest area. So I had to work hard to improve it."

"If that is your weakest area, I would be very hesitant to meet you at your specialty, which I can assume is aerial assaults?"

"Yes."

"Our own aerial fighters could stand to learn from your specialties, if you would be willing to offer teaching."

"I believe I could provide that."

Optimus nodded, then turned to the gathered mechs, most of whom were still gawking in evident surprise at Starscream. Many of them held a bit of morbid curiosity in their gaze, as if they were looking at a legend or myth, which in a way was not far from the truth. "I realize many of you may be surprised at learning our guest's identity, but I can assure you that having been fully aware of his past I found no need to treat him as anything but an honored guest. However, as he has clearly offered his knowledge and expertise to you freely, I would like to remind you all that past identities and offenses play no part in what we are here to achieve now. While Starscream may have once been fighting with our enemies against us, that time is long past. His reason for being here coincides with ours all, to find the Allspark and use it to restore our world peacefully. That alone unites us all, past differences aside. I would encourage you to remember this. Any who bear curiosity must keep it to yourselves unless he so feels inclined to indulge you. I will tolerate no harassment, am I clear?" There were numerous nods, and not a single mech seemed to disagree with that judgment. "Very well. I have an announcement to you all. After speaking with this country's leader, we have come to an official truce. The Autobots and any peaceful Cybertronian refugees are given protection to remain here under their permission, and in return we are to assist in protecting any facility, city, or human being from Decepticon or other hostile Cybertronian threats." He paused. "In addition, we have been informed that the humans of this country are in fact in possession of the Allspark, and have agreed to give us access to it."

There was a collective gasp as everyone began talking all at once in excited voices. Starscream frowned, looking suddenly concerned, but said nothing. It was in fact Prowl who spoke up. "Access sir?" His optics flashed. "They are not returning it to us?"

"Not immediately." Optimus sighed shaking his head. "At the moment, the item is in their possession, and they have been studying it. I am still waiting for assessment from the government on whether they will release it to us. As it is on their land, they are entitled to this right."

"But it's our relic." Ironhide snapped. "It belongs to us, and it's what can bring back our home!"

Optimus held his hand up patiently. "We have been given permission to access the item. I am still discussing logistics with the human government. For now, you must be patient. We know where it is, and we know it is heavily guarded, for the moment that is the important thing. We must now ensure Megatron does not find out where the cube's location is, so we can finish negotiations with the humans. We are a patient people, we can afford to wait as long as we must."

"And when Megatron shows up?" Sunstreaker crossed his arms over his chassis. "What then? When he brings an army of his losers…" his optics slid briefly over to Starscream, as Sideswipe smacked his brother upside the head and mouthed 'sorry!' to the seeker. "…then what?"

"We have already considered that possibility." Optimus said solemnly, gazing at the men evenly. "And it is why I urge you to begin polishing your skills often. Prowl will put together a training schedule for everyone based on tactics and skills, and I urge you to put serious effort into it." He glanced over at Starscream who nodded once. "Starscream will add whatever insight he can into your training, including Decepticon techniques and strategies. Considering his known track record as an air elite commander, I would urge you to take heed to his advice." He paused. "We will continue training until we are given clearance to move forward. Until then, everyone must practice vigilance and continue their duties." He nodded, and the gathered mechs began to stew about. Optimus hesitated before turning to Starscream. Their voices were soft, but Alexis could still hear their words faintly over the din of metal feet on dirt. "Are you certain that you wish to do this?"

"What good am I otherwise, Optimus?" Was the soft response. "I won't change things here by locking myself up in a lab. You're right, one mech can make a difference in the right area. I just had to remember where my place was."

"Then my friend, you are welcome with us."


	14. Chapter 14

**The Complications of Life**

By: Nightelfcrawler

_Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly._

_Authors' note: And now I can finally publish the side story at this chapters release. For obvious reasons as you'll find out. Things been done for ages, but I didn't want to release it before certain details became known ^_~_

_**Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.**_

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**Chapter Fourteen**

It was not long before the mutterings and surprise about Starscream's mysterious past revealed ceased to be the talk of the Ark. It was fascinating to watch him training the others. Alexis never would have thought the soft-spoken scientist with a sarcastic streak of humor could be as ruthless and swift in battle as Starscream was. However, as the days passed and she watched him take control of training the Autobots, she began to see why he was given so much respect by Optimus. The files on him had grossly understated his abilities, and though he had obviously not used them in some time, they came naturally back to him. Through the weeks, he trained them how to shoot fliers in specific, taught them about fighting tactics he knew, took them through the files of all the Decepticons he knew of, telling them what he knew, and even gave them one-on-one instruction when needed. His mannerisms were sharp and to the point, sure of himself, a true leader. During his off time, he spent much of it fielding questions from the curious. A few were hostile at first, but after their initial shock wore off, the hostility faded. It had, after all, been a very long time since he had fought against them, and an enemy commander was still extremely skilled and valuable to listen to. Thus, he was awarded not only with a healthy dose of curiosity and awe for having survived after everyone thought he was dead, but given great respect based on his ability to teach them how to better fight.

The improvements were easy to see.

Alexis watched as the mechs moved smoothly about in a battle simulation on the open desert plane, guns equipped with paintballs instead of energy as they did a full-on war game maneuver. They were evenly matched, both teams having been hand-picked by their respective commanders. Neither side seemed to have lost a mech to being shot 'dead' yet, but there were plenty of paint-splattered casualties. Still, watching them battle it out across the open desert was absolutely fascinating, especially when the aerial team swooped in dropping paint-loaded bombs on their 'enemies' and swooping out amidst rapid gunfire.

She turned her head as she heard a sudden thump just behind her, followed by turbines powering down. Eclipse had landed smoothly and was striding calmly towards her spot under what had to be the only tree in this desert. Up until now, Eclipse had remained much of an enigma to pretty much everyone. She was aloof and quiet, preferring to go out exploring on her own, obviously fascinated with the planet on which they had landed. She had not spent much time at the base, though given how everyone ogled after her Alexis honestly couldn't blame her. Still, as the slender femme approached, her violet optics slid down curiously to study the human leaning against the tree. "Hi." Alexis lifted her hand to greet Eclipse. "Aren't you joining in?"

"No." Her sultry voice sounded mildly amused and she paused beside Alexis, her gaze sweeping the field with slight interest. "They seem to be having fun on their own. I would just be a distraction."

Alexis laughed at that. "I believe it. Are you tired of it yet?"

"Incredibly." The femme slipped down into a casual crouch at her side, flashing the human an amused smile. "It was fun at first, but now I see why Starscream warned me." Her head tilted slightly, optics intensely curious as she studied Alexis. "You are a femme of your species, are the males always so insufferable for you?"

"Not to that extent." Alexis grinned. "But then there's a lot more femmes of my race out there for them to ogle at. I'm by far not the prettiest catch, and most guys don't like women with brains in their heads." She tapped hers. "I'm too smart for most of them, or more accurately they're too stupid for my tastes."

"I can relate to that." Eclipse agreed, wings twitching slightly as her gaze swept out to the field where the mechs battled it out.

Alexis shifted. "Uh so I have to ask…" Eclipse blinked down at her. "Is it true what I've heard, that femmes are pretty much extinct?"

"As far as I know, yes." Eclipse shrugged slightly. "I've been told that they haven't been seen for decaeons, and that if any do survive they are extremely skilled at staying alive."

"And I take it your uh, parents, are protective for that reason?"

"Incredibly." She drawled sarcastically, flashing a smile down at her. "I can't blame them I suppose. Starscream is the worse of course, he is insufferable when it comes to not letting me do what I want. I imagine many creations suffer similar circumstances under over-protective creators, but considering our situation I find it understandable, if irritating. However, he constantly forgets how well he has trained me. I can take care of myself."

Alexis smiled at that. "So he trained you as well?"

"In many aspects." She shifted, sinking onto her bottom as she tucked her thrusters beneath her and sat calmly on the dirt. "There is little to do while in a small ship with claustrophic fliers. We get out flying now and then, but much of it is spent studying their research. We had visited organic planets in the past, but none with sentient life. I find it refreshing to finally meet others aside from our family unit."

"I'm sure." Alexis chuckled. "Being stuck with your parents for your whole life, never meeting other mechs, it must be nice being here."

"Incredibly." Eclipse stretched her arms overhead, wings quivering as she did so, before she relaxed against the tree trunk. Both girls stared out at the battle scene, watching it progress. As they did so, Sunstreaker pulled a bold move and he and his brother broke away from the group, and tackled a mech down by tag-teaming him. They went sprawling in a puff of dust and dirt, and a volley of paint exploded from the gun as it was crushed, drenching the three of them. "Oh now this is entertainment." Eclipse murmured, then abruptly sat up, optics twinkling as she held her hand down. "Lets take a closer look."

"Uh. I don't think we should be going into the battle zone unless we plan on getting splattered in paint." Alexis blinked. "You can probably handle it, but those are mech-sized pellets, they're' as big as I am. I definitely don't want to get hit by one."

"Oh pfft." Eclipse snorted. "You won't. Trust me."

Alexis glanced out at the scene then sighed, climbing onto the femme's hand. In one smooth motion, Eclipse stood up and turned to face the scene.

Then, Alexis noticed something off. It was suddenly quiet. Too quiet. Her gaze focused on the battle, and in that moment her heart leapt in surprise seeing that the entire scene was frozen. "….whoa." She murmured, leaning forward. Each dust particle hung in the air, paint bullets frozen in place, mechs standing in formation but unmoving as they aimed weapons at their opponents. A perfect crisp scene, frozen in place. Her gaze snapped up at Eclipse, startled. "Did you…?"

The femme smirked, and slowly sauntered her way towards the scene casually, igniting her thrusters and drifting between the scene, carefully avoiding paint pellets as she moved, peering curiously at the mechs around them. "Fascinating isn't it?" She asked, reaching forward and holding Alexis up to a frozen paint pellet. The human gently nudged it, and was surprised to see it move forward a little. She stared intently at the blue drifting sphere, and blinked as she realized that no, it wasn't frozen completely in place, but moving very slowly. As she watched, it moved about the span of her hand's width in ten seconds. "My ability is an extremely handy tool in circumstances like this. I often used it to study my creator as he taught me fighting forms. He hates it." Her grin flashed wider.

"You freeze time?" Alexis asked, bemused.

"Not exactly. I can super-accelerate a field around my body, enabling me to move at a much faster rate than the world around me. A warp distortion field of sorts. Everything here is still moving at a normal pace, we are just moving faster than they." She reached out a hand, and pushed it forward, and as Alexis watched, the pellet passed through her hand, leaving a faint blue mark behind which faded quickly. "By accelerating particles, I can even pass through objects, cross great distances in far less time than anyone else, and move out of harms way in the blink of an optic." Her gaze shifted down to Alexis, sparkling with mischief. "It's quite handy. This is why I believe my creator is overly concerned with nothing. He trained me to stay alert, and as long as I can do that, nothing can touch me."

"So you can pass through items?" Alexis' mind was working fast. "How does that work? Matter is still matter. It can't be met with anything but equal force."

"There is the key. Equal force." Eclipse replied, wings perking up as it was clear she loved speaking about science just as her sires did. "We are not equal in this flux state. Our particles are super-accelerated to a degree that matter around us seems slower. While passing through objects is met with a degree of force, their particles are much slower than ours, and this on a sub-atomic level is still enough for me to be able to part the particles. It does take strength out of me however, so I only do that in situations that warrant for it."

Alexis blinked. "Wow. And can you move items like this?"

"Unfortunately, not without great effort." She reached forward, placing her fingers around the bullet hovering before them, and tried to pluck it out of the air. Her fingers passed through it, squishing the pellet in an odd way, distorting the surface of the vinyl coating, making it ripple alarmingly. "We have less substance compared to the world around us in this state. Dense objects can be moved easier than less dense objects, but there is a limit as to what can be done when your body's particles are faster than those of the world around you. For example, there are some substances that are too dense, the particles don't move enough to allow me to pass through them. Some metal alloys, hard stone surfaces of strong bonding cohesion, and anything that moves faster along with the same speed as us, for example, liquids or molten substances. Water will still splatter, as will paint, molten metal would burn, as would fire. It slows the action down, but does not cease it. My exposure would be limited compared to a mech moving at normal speed, but it can still do great damage. In addition, if I shut the field down while a part of me is still intermixed with something else.." She trailed off. "Well it is not very pleasant, let me say."

"I can imagine not." Alexis shuddered. "How did you develop this ability?"

"I was sparked with it." She replied, glancing down at the human as they moved away from the battlefield, returning to the tree. "Some sparks have special programming inherent in them, enabling them to develop special abilities. My creator's trinemates both have such abilities, I've heard."

"Trinemates?"

"His team, wingmates." She explained. "They are like brothers to him." She shook her head. "I have never met them. They are still Decepticons, though from what Starscream has told me it is not likely by choice but by circumstance. They are the ones who got us safely into Skyfire's protection."

"Oh I see." Alexis smiled slightly, then froze. "Wait… us? You mean…" She frowned slightly glancing over at the femme who regarded her calmly. "Skyfire isn't your other creator?"

"No."

A strange cold feeling swept through her. "He's not? But I thought they were… um…"

"Bonded? They are." Eclipse replied with a shrug. "But I was sparked before they became bonded."

Alexis felt a chill run down her spine. So if Skyfire wasn't Eclipse's other creator, the question therefore was: who was?


End file.
